The Haunted Mansion
by H20loo
Summary: The promised sequel to Crimson and Clover. The course of true love never did run smooth, and everyone is haunted by it, even the ghosts.
1. Dreams

A/N: The events in this story follow immediately after my earlier story, Crimson and Clover, which itself is a sequel to my first story, The Visitors. If you haven't read either one of those, I would suggest doing so, because otherwise, this story will be very odd, kinda like me. :) The short story Trouble might come in handy too. And If you have read the other two/three, then you should know by now that this story will be Kigo, so if it offends, please read something else. I won't be offended, I swear. Different strokes for different folks and all that. Most of the characters belong to Disney; some don't. And finally, I should warn people that this one is not going to be as humorous as the other two; it is going to be a little angsty in places.

Chapter 1 – Dreams

"Beep, Beep, Be-beep!"

The four-toned, subtle yet unignorable chime rang throughout the bedroom. A dark-haired, pale green-skinned woman, although already awake, patently ignored it, knowing that it meant she would have to move and not wanting to in the least.

"Beep, Beep, Be-beep!" it rang a second time, and this time the noise roused the red-haired woman also sleeping in the bed.

"Don't you think you should get that?" Kim mumbled sleepily.

"No," Shego said firmly, determinedly maintaining a grumpy look on her face even though Kim's breath on her bare back threatened to make her giggle. "Besides, it's yours," she pointed out.

"Then I had better get it, I guess," Kim sighed, pulling back the arm that had wrapped around Shego's waist.

Shego caught her hand and promptly put it back where it had been, restoring the arm to where it belonged. And, for good measure, she gently tugged on it so that Kim's body cupped hers even tighter. "Sorry, Princess, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," she informed Kim, and smiled when she felt Kim chuckle softly.

The Kimmunicator continued its appeal, but both women ignored it, as least until the noise roused a third member of the household and a cry could be heard coming from the nursery next door. "Sounds like Uncle Wade woke up your daughter again," Kim chuckled, and Shego grumbled something impolite under her breath. "Make a deal with you, Junior," Kim offered. "I'll call Wade back, you go rescue our damsel in distress, and if Wade doesn't need anything urgent, we'll all come back in here and snuggle."

"You drive a hard bargain, Pink," Shego mock-grumbled, "but okay, if I _have_ to go get Mimmie, I suppose I will." Kim laughed softly and withdrew her arms, rolling and hopping out of bed in one fluid motion. She grabbed her robe so that Uncle Wade didn't get more on his viewscreen than he had been anticipating and called him back.

Shego unapologetically waited until Kim was covered up and there was nothing else to see before she jumped out of bed and grabbed her own robe, throwing it on as she went next door. She walked over to the crib and looked over the side, smiling fondly as the infant within immediately stopped crying and lit up into a smile. She was a cutie, all big green eyes and wispy red hair, oddly reminiscent of another baby that Shego had once met. Her full name was Miriam Anne Goshen-Possible, but no one ever called her Miriam. Shego preferred Mimmie, Kim's family called her Mimi, and her own family called her Migo. Having a Migo and a Mego did get confusing from time to time, but it wasn't any more confusing than having two Wegos. At least Mimmie and her uncle looked nothing alike.

"Hey there, Mimmie," Shego said, gently lifting the baby by her arms and cradling her into the crook of her left arm. "Let's go find Mommy." She stepped over a half-asleep, half-guarding-the-crib clouded leopard. "Morning, Anna," Shego said and Anna growled back an acknowledgement before falling completely asleep now that her charge was gone.

After emerging into the hallway, Shego took a look around for Kim, but didn't see her. "Hey Pumpkin?" Shego called out, trying to find where in the upstairs of the Mansion her wife had gotten to. There was no answer, and Shego frowned, sharing a glance with the baby tucked in her arm. "Where'd Mommy get herself to?" she asked Mimmie, gently swinging her. The baby laughed and Shego joined in. "Yeah, you've got a silly Mommy," she confirmed.

"I would say she's got two of them," Kim interjected wryly, popping out of the upstairs office. "Hey there, little love," she said, smiling, and Mimi giggled. "Wade didn't have anything all that important," Kim said. Her eyebrow quirked and Shego looked at her warily, knowing something was afoot. Kim kissed her, deftly distracting her before impishly spiriting Mimi away.

"Hey!" Shego protested. "I found her fair and square!"

"Well, you get us both if you come back to bed," Kim tempted.

Shego's eyebrow arched as she looked condescendingly at Kim. "Are you insinuating that I, one of the most feared women in the world, would want to do something so incredibly soft as to have 'snuggle-time' with the likes of you two?" she asked archly.

"Um, yeah, I am, 'cause you do," Kim replied, unrepentantly confident. "And I'll turn the puppy-dog pout on you if you don't." She turned it on full-force and Mimi, having been coached for a while, did the same.

"You taught the kid how to do it," Shego said flatly, seeing her demise in those sorrowful looks. "I am so screwed," she sighed.

"Pretty much," Kim confirmed. "So back to bed?"

"Yes, dear," Shego responded affectionately.

Kim chuckled and turned towards their bedroom, only to be stopped by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She and Shego glanced at one another and shrugged, neither one knowing who it was. Being the far less modest of the two, Shego padded down the stairs to answer it, completely unconcerned that she was in her robe and had nothing on underneath.

The speculative look she wore deepened into a scowl when she saw who was on her doorstep. "How may I help you, Lieutenant?" she asked through gritted teeth, very, very, unhappy that her wife-and-baby cuddle time was being delayed due to the likes of her.

"It is 'captain' now, Ms. Goshen," the Lieutenant said. "And I am here to arrest you."

"Again?" Shego questioned in a bored tone. "What is this, like the 20th time you've tried?"

"32nd," the Lieutenant corrected succinctly. "But this time your, um, wife is being arrested too, so she won't be here to protect you. Now please hand over the baby, because she is going into protective custody."

"Over my dead body," Shego said darkly. "My wife is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but if you even think about touching our child…" Here she stopped, wanting to finish with, "I'll kill you where you stand," but knowing that the Lieutenant would add threatening a police officer to the rest of her trumped-up charges. Shego glanced up to the top of the stairs to see that Kimmie and Mimmie were okay, but they were no longer there. Kim had retreated to the bedroom as soon as she had seen it was the Lieutenant at the door. Shego had a brief stab of panic that they had already arrested Kim and taken Mimmie away, but Kim emerged seconds later fully clothed with Mimmie in her baby sling.

Kim gazed down at Shego and Shego looked back up at her, her heart breaking as she conveyed her message to Kim with her eyes. "Run," her eyes pleaded. "Don't let them get either of you because of me." Kim nodded and retreated into the nursery, emerging with a diaper bag and a pissed-off clouded leopard. She spared one more look at Shego and then disappeared along with Mimmie and Anna into one of the Mansion's many secret passages.

"Should we go after her, Captain?" one of the officers asked.

"It won't do any good," the Lieutenant said dourly. "She and that kid are halfway to Mexico by now. Besides, we got what we came for," she explained, smirking at Shego.

Shego was not listening or even paying attention to anything but her own thoughts. The love of her life and their baby girl had just disappeared, gone, at her behest and forced to become fugitives because of crimes that she had committed. It was all her fault, she knew that and the guilt was overwhelming. She should have never fallen in love, never tried to make a life with Kim because people like her weren't allowed such privileges. She bowed her head, the tears came, and she could nothing to stop them.

Shego awoke with a start. What in the hell had that been about? she wondered, noting that her cheeks were still damp from where she had been crying in her sleep. She took a deep breath, trying desperately to banish the sadness and overwhelming sense of loss that her dream had inspired. It didn't help, and nothing was going to, for as a voice broke into her thoughts, she realized she had not quite woken up yet. Either that, or she had managed to travel several years into the past.

"Sheila, sweetie, are you okay?" a plaintive voice asked. "I know I shouldn't have told you like this, but…"

"But what, Nina?" Shego challenged, that still familiar, slightly high-pitched whine clueing her in to where and when she was and causing her to snap back into being a petulant, pissed off sixteen year old in love for the first time with a first girlfriend that was telling her it had all been a mistake. "What part of 'I'll love you forever' has changed?" she asked. "I'm still the same person I was a year ago; I am still a smart mouth with pale green skin that has glowing hands. My feelings for you haven't changed. Hell, I still go to this insanely expensive boarding school, so even if you were only after my money, I still have that."

"It's not you, Sheila," Nina protested. "It's me; I just don't think I am gay. I think I was just doing some experimenting."

Shego's face darkened. "I am no one's experiment," she growled. "Get out now, Nina," she ordered. "And I would find a new roommate because you are not living in this room again."

Nina didn't say anything. She looked like she wanted to, but dumb as she was sometimes, she was smart enough to know when to be quiet. She turned and left and Shego slammed the door behind her. It wasn't until she heard Nina's footsteps grow progressively softer and then disappear that she allowed her façade to crumble and she collapsed on her bed. The tears came for several agonizing minutes until she steeled herself and wiped them away. Nina would never see her cry, that she swore to herself, and no one was going to get close enough to make her cry like that again.

Shego started awake, her eyes popping open. Just as quickly, she shut them again, as tight as she possibly could. She wasn't sure if she was really awake, and if she was still dreaming, well the bounty of crappy feelings the other two segments had afforded made her apprehensive about continuing to dream. At last curiosity got the better of her and she cracked open an eye, only to wish that she hadn't. She wasn't home, or at least, Shego thought as she got a better look at where she was, it wasn't home _now_. It hadn't really been home since she had left for boarding school in Go City. Shego could only guess why her subconscious had brought her back to Chicago.

Unexpectedly, a head popped into her room, making her jump. "Sorry, Princess," her father said apologetically. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw your light on and I thought you might still be up."

"Um, yeah, I was, I guess," Shego admitted sheepishly, her adult mind processing the sight of the father she had fought with and lost over five years ago talking to her like he used to. "Why? Did you need me for something?"

"Yeah, I did, sweetie," her father replied, his face growing sad. He looked like he was going to cry, and Shego, remembering only a few times she had ever seen him cry, knew instinctively when her mind had taken her back to. "Please, not this," she pleaded to her unseen tormentor. "Anything but this. Wake up!" she ordered herself. "You don't want to relive this!" But being fickle as dreams have tendency to be, hers picked that moment to transform her from being a participant into an observer, making it impossible for her to influence the scene unfolding before her.

Which is why her dream self didn't listen, but instead asked a question, a question that adult Shego already knew the answer to, and one that she didn't want answered again. "What did you need to talk to me about, Daddy?" she heard her childish self asking.

"Um, well, Pumpkin, I came to tell you that we are going on a trip to Middleton tomorrow," her father answered sadly.

"But it is only April," she heard herself saying. "Nana Mim and Nana Sheila aren't expecting me until June."

Her father sighed, and tears threatened to slip down his cheeks. "You aren't going to see your Nanas this summer, Shego," he answered, using her pet name in order to soften the blow of what was coming next. "Nana Mim and Nana Sheila are very sick; the doctors don't think they are going to get better and we have to go say goodbye."

"What do they have?" she childishly demanded. "Can't the doctors give them some medicine?"

"There isn't any medicine that can help, Cupcake," her father said. "They are both very old and there isn't anything the doctors can do about that."

"If they don't get better, what is going to happen, Daddy?" she asked.

"They are going to go to heaven, Sweetie," her father said gently.

Her family wasn't all that religious, but even as a child, she knew what this meant. "Then they are going away forever, and I'll never get to see them again," she said despondently, the sobs starting to come in waves as that prospect sent her into despairing hysteria.

Her father didn't saying anything because there was nothing that he could. He just gathered her up in his arms and let her cry, rocking her gently until she had cried herself back to sleep.

Shego awoke in her bedroom in the Mansion. It took her a few seconds to sort out where she was and then a few seconds more to realize that this was where she wanted to be. She breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief and threw off the covers, jumping out of bed before she could fall asleep again.

Well, she thought, _that_ had thoroughly sucked. Even though it had all been a dream, the sadness and sense of loss were still clinging to her, and without really thinking about it, she found herself glancing down the hallway to the room that had been the nursery in her first dream. She knew objectively that there was no nursery, no crib and no Mimmie, but it didn't stop her from feeling a pang of something she couldn't quite grasp when she realized it was still just an office.

"This is nuts," Shego chastised herself. "We barely started dating and I am dreaming about kids."

It wasn't just dreams about future kids that was disconcerting her, though. The unpleasant reminders of two very sucky times in her life were also unnerving her. Shego was not a stupid person, and it was pretty easy to figure out that something in her nascent relationship with Kimmie was subconsciously bugging her. It also didn't take a genius to figure out it probably had something to do with a fear of Kimmie leaving her. Why would she be so worried about this _now_, though? She and Kim were barely starting out _and_ they were taking a wait-and-see approach. So, if it worked out or not, well, that was life; even if Kim left, she wouldn't care that much.

Except she probably would, she realized, flashing back to the despair she had felt when Kim had disappeared down the trap door. True, in the dream, they had been together for a while, and true in the dream, Kim was going on the lam. But, Shego could tell, and she could admit it to herself reluctantly, that she would most likely feel the same way regardless of the circumstances surrounding Kim's departure.

"Well, fuck," she sighed. She realized suddenly that she was still staring down her hallway, so she shook her head to snap out of it and walked back into the bedroom. She threw on some clothes, grabbed her keys and went for a walk, her destination completely unknown.


	2. Puttin' on the Ritz

A/N: This is chapter is long, but I had a lot to say. Please let me know what you think. :)

Chapter 2 – Puttin' on the Ritz

Middleton High – Tuesday Morning, 4th Day of Couple-dom

The seniors in Middleton High's 20th Century history class sat around chatting happily as they waited for the class to start. Well, most of them were happy, that was. One was decidedly unhappy, and she was doing her best to make sure that everyone knew it.

"Would all of you please shut up?" Bonnie asked, irritated.

"What's the matter, Bonnie?" a random student asked, and from where she was sitting, it sounded to Kim like it was Alex, "Someone spit in your Cheerios this morning?"

"My brand-new car got stolen last night," Bonnie replied tartly. The class took that in for a second and promptly broke out into snickers. She had been boasting about that car and rubbing it into their faces from the moment she had got it, and everyone, Kim and Ron included, loved the poetic justice. Bonnie scowled even deeper at their mirth, and as was her custom, promptly turned on Kim. "Laugh it up, you perv, but I know it was your thieving freak of a girlfriend that took it."

Kim stopped chuckling and looked at Bonnie, completely unperturbed. "Well, if it was Shego, you are never going to find any proof," she said good-naturedly. "And, you are never going to see it again. But as far as I know, she was home last night, so take your unfounded accusations and stick them up your…"

"People!" Mr. Barkin barked, interrupting Kim. She smiled sweetly at Bonnie and turned around to pay attention, all the while mildly shocked at what she had been about to say. She didn't know if her feelings for Shego or Shego's off-color influence was to blame for the outburst, or even for that matter if Shego had taken the car or not, but it seems her retort instinct hadn't cared one way or the other and it was determined to put Bonnie in her place. It was a heady experience, and Kim decided she liked it.

"Listen up, people, I have an announcement," Mr. Barkin was saying as she truly turned her attention towards the front. "As many of you know, homecoming is less than two weeks away, and today is the official start of the campaign season for the King, the Queen and their court. Any senior girl is eligible for Queen and any senior guy is eligible for King."

"Since Kim is dating girls now, should she really be eligible for Queen, Mr. Barkin?" Bonnie asked snidely. "Shouldn't she be in the running for King?"

"School rules clearly indicate that all girls are eligible to be Queen regardless of beauty, social standing or sexual orientation, Miss Rockwaller," Mr. Barkin recited, having heard that particular jibe many times before not only about gay students, but ugly and poor ones as well. "And consequently, Miss Rockwaller, if you are going to attempt to humiliate one of your fellow classmates in my class, please do so with something that at least pretends to be original," he requested, causing the class to dissolve once again into Bonnie-deriding snickers. "The student council has also decided that the theme for Homecoming will be 'Costume Ball' and there will be a prize for Best Costume," he told them. A low buzz zipped around the classroom as people pondered the possibilities. "All right, people," Mr. Barkin interrupted. "Enough with the chit-chat, it's time to get to the business of learning."

Kim obediently opened her book, but her mind was a million miles away. She was asking Shego, duh, but there were still a lot of unknowns to think about, and they were much more interesting than listening to Mr. Barkin prattle on about the Cuban Missile Crisis. First, they had to get costumes; Kim had a few ideas about that, and she had a good idea where she could find what she was after. Next, she really didn't know the school's policy about same-sex couples. The few gay students they had at Middleton rarely brought dates to dances, and when they did, they brought fellow high school students. That went over okay, but her girlfriend was older and a former criminal, and Kim could see where that could cause consternation both with the teaching staff and some kids' parents. But, she decided, she didn't care; as the old saying went, it was better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission, and she figured there was little they could do if they showed up together.

A plan thus formed in her mind, Kim reluctantly turned her attention back toward Mr. Barkin, only to have herself once again distracted when her wrist Kimmunicator started to blink, indicating she had an incoming call. She casually answered it, her face lighting up when she saw Shego on the screen. She turned her wrist to the front of the classroom to alert Shego to where she was and then turned it back to face her. Shego nodded and mouthed one word. "Lunch?" she asked silently. Kim nodded gently so she didn't attract attention, but her smile got wider, and Shego smiled back. It was only then that Kim realized Shego hadn't really been smiling before and that she looked a little troubled, even though she was smiling now. Kim couldn't really call her on it in a silent phone call, but lunch was only three short periods away and she could ask it about it then. Shego waved bye and signed off, giving Kim yet another thing to be distracted by.

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"Hey Princess," Shego called out as Kim came out of the classroom door. Kim smiled and came over to her, happy that the three periods had passed by so quickly. "Ready for lunch?"

"Boy, am I ever," Kim replied. "And we have a few things to talk about while we are there."

"We do?" Shego asked, surprised. After her sucky night, she had felt a little off this morning and had decided that she needed to get out of the house and do something. She thought seeing Kimmie would be a nice break; she didn't realize there would be things to talk about.

"We do," Kim confirmed. "So, where are you taking me? I only get an hour."

"Your choice," Shego said promptly.

"How about Clown in the Cube?" Kim suggested as they walked to her locker. "It is quick and we don't go there as often as other places."

"Works for me," Shego replied.

"Excuse me," Bonnie sniffed, brushing past Shego without really seeing her as she opened up the locker that was right next to Kim's.

"Hey Rockwaller, where's that new ride of yours? I didn't see it in the parking lot," Shego taunted.

Bonnie whipped around. "See, I knew it was you. What did you do with it, you psycho bitch?" she spat.

Shego chuckled. "Wasn't me, Rockwaller," she said mildly. "I'm a millionaire many times over. What the hell would I want with your crappy little car?"

"Getting revenge, duh," Bonnie said dismissively. "Because it only took me three hours to tell the whole school how the perfect Kim Possible had dumped Stoppable for a lezzy ex-con."

"Ah, see, I didn't know for sure that it was you," Shego said, a wicked smirk appearing. "Granted, I figured it was, but I didn't know it was, so I left you alone. Now that I know it was you, Rockwaller, well, that's a whole other story."

"Please be good, Junior," Kim asked quietly, wanting peace more than she wanted revenge.

"I'm always good, Pumpkin," Shego smirked innocently. Kim rolled her eyes. "See ya later, Rockwaller," Shego said amiably, and with a flick of her wrist, slammed Bonnie's locker door shut as she and Kim walked away.

"Did you have to do that?" Kim asked in indulgent exasperation.

"Yup," Shego affirmed, still smirking. Just as they were exiting the building, they heard Bonnie's cry of frustration and a low level of accompanying laughter.

"What did you do?" Kim asked, knowing you should never trust a smirking girlfriend.

Shego chuckled. "I melted the lock," she admitted.

Kim sighed as she got into the passenger's side of Shego's car. "Please tell me that it wasn't you that stole that stupid car," she pleaded.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation, Pumpkin," Shego replied, still smirking.

Kim thought about pursuing the conversation farther, but realized it would do her no good. She still wasn't sure if Shego had stolen the car or not; Shego obviously didn't care if people thought she did, but that didn't mean she did. It would be much more ironic and subversive if everyone thought she had and she hadn't, and letting everyone think that seemed like a very Shego thing to do. "You are a pain even when you are good, you know that, right?" Kim chided, as Shego started the car and they pulled out of the lot.

"Of course, doy," Shego scoffed. "Life would be way too boring without some sort of mischief."

"I agree," Kim said unexpectedly, and Shego glanced over in surprise. Kim smiled but said nothing.

"All right, spill it, Pink," Shego ordered.

"How would you feel about potentially breaking a few school rules, or at the very least, making a few people uncomfortable?" Kim asked.

"Dunno," Shego replied. "I guess it would depend on what it is for."

"Ah," Kim answered, but said nothing more.

Shego sighed as they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "Now who's being a pain?" she asked, exasperatedly.

"Two can play the game, Junior," Kim said with a smirk as she got out of the car. She headed towards the restaurant, only to be stopped by a thought that reminded her of something. She turned around and walked back to Shego, enveloping her completely in a heartfelt hug. "I'm sorry you were sad this morning," she said sincerely. "Are you feeling better?"

Shego was stunned; she hadn't really thought she had given anything away when she made the call to Kim, but apparently she had. Either that or the kid was psychic. "I suddenly feel a whole lot better, Princess," she admitted, returning Kim's hug with vigor. "So what is it you are not asking me?" she prodded when they had separated.

"Well, I was hoping I could persuade you to be my date for Homecoming," Kim said nonchalantly as she held the door open for Shego. "It is coming up in a couple of weeks."

"You're kidding, right?" Shego asked skeptically as they stepped up to the counter.

"Nope," Kim answered. "I am Captain of the cheerleading squad and potential Homecoming Queen; I have to be there. And if I am there, I want to have you there with me."

Shego didn't say anything; instead she took the opportunity ordering her food afforded her to come up with a response. "If you want me to be there, Pumpkin, I will be there," she said finally as they sat at their table, and allowed herself an "aww" moment when Kim started to wiggle like a happy puppy. "But, I take it from your earlier question that there may be problems?"

"That I don't know," Kim admitted. "I don't think there are any school rules against it, but I am not sure. But I do know that some students may have a problem with it."

"Eh, fuck 'em," Shego said dismissively. "It's a public school and there has to be a non-discrimination policy."

"That's kinda what I thought, though I was a little less, um, colorful," Kim admitted.

Shego chuckled. "So, speaking of the dance, any desire to Homecoming Queen?" she asked with a smile. "I could rig the election for you."

"Don't bother," Kim told her. "It doesn't mean that much to me and it is going to be Bonnie anyway."

"But it could be you. It would be a cakewalk to steal the ballot box," Shego tempted.

"Thank you, but no," Kim said affectionately. "I would much rather win the Best Costume competition."

"It's a costume thingy?" Shego asked, her interest piqued. Kim nodded enthusiastically. "And I take it from the emphatic nod you have some ideas," Shego guessed.

"Yup," Kim answered. "Did Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila keep any of their old stuff around?"

"Only two room-sized walk-in closets full," Shego said wryly.

"Spanking," Kim said happily.

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Kim barely kept herself still as she impatiently waited through the last of her classes and cheerleading practice. After practice was done, she didn't even bother to change but grabbed her stuff and bolted for the Mansion. Too eager to actually wait for Shego to answer the door, she used her keys and ambushed Shego in the parlor.

"Hey Shego!" she chirped, startling her fitfully dozing girlfriend on the couch.

"Oh, hey, Pink," Shego said sleepily. "What're you doing here?"

"Costumes!" Kim said cheerfully.

"Don't we have a while?" Shego asked drolly. "Like almost two weeks?"

"Don't care," Kim said perkily, fairly hopping from one foot to the other.

"Have you had too much caffeine today, Princess?" Shego inquired

"Only the soda at lunch," Kim responded. "So, where's the stuff?"

"Settle down, Pumpkin," Shego said, amused, trying to calm an obviously excited Kim. "The rooms are this way."

The rooms were side-by-side, and each had their own separate entryway. When Kim went through the door, though, she saw that it was one large room with walk-in closets lining the walls. "Wow," she breathed. It was better than she had hoped. There were literally piles of dresses to choose from.

"So what's your pleasure, Pink?" Shego asked with a grin. "For actual outfits that they wore, we have society debutante, belle of the ball, early 20th century explorer, and top hat and tails. In terms of true costumery, we have 'Napoleon and Josephine,' 'Anne Elliot and Capt. Wentworth,' 'Billy Yank and Johnny Reb', and looks like several generic 'Prince and Princesses.'"

"See, I knew this place would rock," Kim said excitedly. She went from closet to closet and took inventory, unabashedly admiring the gowns. Each one had a small tag attached that specified the societal or familial function that it had been worn to as well as the date it had been worn on. Most had been made for and worn to the Goshen's perennial New Year's Eve party, but others had been worn to weddings, debutante balls and other society functions. Kim spent a while going through all of the closets, trying to choose between all of the possibilities. She was about to give up and ask Shego's opinion when she saw a closed wardrobe that she hadn't been through that stood off to the side. She opened it, and stood for a few moments in reverential awe.

The wardrobe contained two pairs of clothing; one pair was a set of sparkling white gowns and Kim didn't need the tag to know that this had been Mim and Sheila's wedding attire. After making sure her hands were clean, she tentatively reached out and touched the sleeve, marveling at the intricate bead and lace work that made up the sleeve. She smiled and let the sleeve drop, turning her attention to the other set of clothes. Now that was a ball gown, she decided. It was emerald green and empire-wasted, which allowed the skirts to flounce without being as expansive as a hoop skirt would have been. The bodice had a base layer of emerald satin and was covered by meticulously-crafted and gorgeously-wrought black lace. The skirt was made up of green satin and green tulle, and it descended from the black velvet belt that tied in a large bow in the back.

The other outfit in this set was just as extraordinary, although in a completely different way. It was white-tie ensemble, complete with a waist-length tailcoat with its two tails trailing down the back and black trousers. The coat lapels were black satin, and the double-breasted waist had the traditional set of non-functional buttons. The bowtie and waistcoat were white as tradition dictated, but the white wing-collar dress shirt was fastened at the cuffs with emerald green cufflinks, and there was an emerald satin sash that perfectly matched the green satin of the gown and broke up the glare of the white.

Kim reached out for the tag attached to the gown. The gown was gorgeous and she wanted so badly to wear it, but there was no way that she would wear it to Homecoming where some idiot jerk could spill punch on it. She read the tag, and it told her that this had been worn at "Our 30th Birthday Celebration." She reluctantly let the sleeve drop.

"If you love it that much, Princess, I would wear it; you would look beautiful in it," Shego encouraged.

Kim sighed. "I would never subject such a beautiful gown to the danger of a high-school dance," she answered firmly. "Besides, I would probably offend Aunt Mim if I wore it."

"I seriously doubt it," Shego retorted. "For one thing, she's dead, and I doubt she cares about crap like that anymore. Two, if you don't wear it, what else is it supposed to do? Hang in the wardrobe until it rots or the moths get it? And besides, why would Nana Mim get offended? The dress was Nana Sheila's; the _tux _belonged to Nana Mim."

"Really?" Kim said, surprised.

"Yeah. She did dress in pants from time to time. She was gay and she had to prove it, you know," Shego teased.

"Well, to be absolutely truthful, we simply dressed in whatever had captured our fancy at that particular time," Mim unexpectedly objected. "It wasn't a statement of any sort. If we thought a dress would be more attractive, we would wear a dress. If trousers seemed better for the occasion, we wore those. And there were those times we either disagreed or the costume dictated it and one would come in trousers and the other a gown. But that was rare, and we would switch back and forth; for instance, I was Napoleon, but Sheila was Captain Wentworth." She smiled at the young ladies who had turned to face her. "But I agree with Junior, Kimmie-Ann; you should wear the gown. It is of no use to anyone locked away in a wardrobe."

"I don't even know if it will fit," Kim protested weakly, temptation warring with responsibility.

"It will fit, and you are going to wear it," Mim stated kindly, effectively ending the discussion. "So, dearest Junior, does this mean you will be wearing my white tie?"

"I hadn't thought about it yet," Shego answered. She thought for a couple of seconds. "How about my catsuit and mask like before? They are green and black, so it will match."

"As if," Kim retorted.

"Heavens no," Mim said at the same time.

Shego chuckled. "Heh. I got you both," she said, smirking. "But seriously, I haven't decided."

"Well, you do have some time," Kim pointed out. Her statement reminded her to look at the time, and she discovered that it had become much later than she had thought it was. "I should really get going," she admitted.

"Before you go, Kimmie-Ann, I should show you where the accessories for that dress are," Mim said, and glided out of the room to the one next door. Kim and Shego followed, and Mim floated in front of a bureau. "In the third drawer from the top, there are full-length black gloves and a black wrap that goes with it."

Kim opened the drawer and retrieved the items. "Thanks, Aunt Mim," she said happily.

"Not a problem, dear," Mim replied, smiling. "But, if I were you, I would start looking around for shoes. Your feet are nothing like Sheila's and I am certain that the shoes that match will not fit."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kim promised. She carefully took the dress' hanger off of the hook in the wardrobe and carefully held the dress aloft as she turned to leave. "I'll see you soon, Junior," she said. She paused, and unexpectedly, she put the dress back on the hook, walked over to Shego and kissed her. "Please call me if you need to talk," she gently ordered, her arms still wrapped around her. "It's not like you to be sad. Grumpy, usually, but not sad, and it freaked me out for most of the day."

"It was nothing, Princess," Shego demurred. Kim fixed her with a chiding eyebrow. "All right," Shego acquiesced. "I'll call."

"Good," Kim stated. "Bye, Aunt Mim," she called out as she gathered the dress back up and headed out the door.

"Bye, Kimmie-Ann," Mim called back amiably. After Kimmie was gone, she looked at Shego with an interested look on her face.

"Don't start," Shego groused. "Yes, I know she just kissed me; yes, I know I just told her that I would call if something was bugging me. I don't need you to tease me about it."

"Sheila is much more the teasing type," Mim reminded her, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off of her face. "Besides, I was more interested in what precipitated the request rather than the request itself."

"Eh, I had kind of a crappy night," Shego answered. "I guess Kimmie picked up on that when I called her this morning and it worried her a little."

"Yes, I should say you did have a terrible night," Mim said sympathetically. "That was a dastardly set of nightmares you were put through."

"How did you know what I dreamed last night?" Shego asked, suspicious. "Did you have something to do with it?"

"It was not us this time, Junior," Mim forestalled her. "Those were all of your own invention." Mim looked at her, concerned. "Are you all right, Junior? Is there anything you would like to converse about?"

"Nah, Kimmie did make me feel tons better. And besides, I figure it was just me being stupid," Shego assured her.

"Well then," Mim said crisply, moving on to happier things. "Would you like some information about the other accessories for that dress?"

"There are 'other' accessories for the dress?" Shego echoed, popping an intrigued eyebrow. Mim nodded smugly.

After her Nana Mim had told her everything she needed to know about the other accessories for the dress, Shego spent the next almost two weeks collecting them from where they had been stored. She also spent the almost two weeks figuring out what she was going to wear. She had the same collection of gowns (minus one, of course) that Kim had chosen from, and any of them would have done nicely. None of them exactly fit the bill, though, because there was only one thing that Shego wanted to wear. The hard part was convincing herself that wearing it wasn't going to assign arbitrary labels to both Kim and herself that they might not want to be labeled as. Eventually though, natural apathy toward other people's attitudes and opinions took over, and so, on the night of the Homecoming dance, she found herself dressed in Mim's white-tie formal attire as her car drove towards Kimme's house.

Kim heard a car pull up to the front of the house and went to the door. She opened it to leave, and was surprised to see an older gentleman standing on her porch, dressed as a chauffeur. He looked at her and his eyes widened briefly before settling down into a wryly-bemused twinkle. "Good evening, Miss," he said, doffing his cap. "Your car is waiting to take you to the dance."

"My car?" Kim questioned. "Um, no offense, but where is Shego? She was supposed to pick me up."

"And she is, Miss. She is in the car," he answered.

"Um, ok, I guess," Kim said, a little puzzled, but willing to go along with whatever it was Shego was up to.

"Right this way, Miss," the driver requested, indicating the car that was parked in the driveway.

"That doesn't look like Shego's Mustang," Kim mentioned.

"That's because it's not, Princess," a familiar voice told her. "It is a 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost," Shego said, smirking at Kim's stunned look.

It wasn't just the exquisite car that Kim was staring dumbly at. She was also staring at the exquisite specimen in tails that was standing beside of it. Shego had obviously chosen to wear Mim's matching formal wear, and the sight of her, resplendent in black, white and green, was making Kim doubt her newly-realized sexuality less and less as the moments passed. She was gorgeous, from her carefully braided hair to her pristine white gloves to her meticulously-polished shoes. It was only when she heard the older man speak that she realized she had been obliviously staring, and she tried to snap out of it before anyone noticed.

"It was really quite unkind of you to send me to the door without warning me what was on the other side," he chastised Shego, shaking his head.

"I told you she was a Possible, Chuck," Shego protested.

"You did not tell me she looked exactly like Miss Miriam," he retorted.

Shego chuckled. "That would have spoiled the fun, Chuck," she laughed. "Anyway, Chuck, meet Kim. Kim, meet Chuck. Chuck takes care of all of my cars, and he graciously agreed to drive us tonight."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Possible," he said, doffing his cap once more.

"Very nice to meet you," Kim answered.

As they shook hands, Shego was afforded her opportunity to look at Kim. Damn, but she was beautiful, and that dress did everything it could to make her more so. She was missing something, though, and Shego decided to rectify that. She retrieved three boxes from the seat of the car, and when Kim was done talking to Chuck, Shego presented them to her. "Nana Mim told me about some other accessories for the dress," Shego explained when Kim looked at her oddly. "One is the car, which was a birthday present from Nana Sheila's parents, and the others are these," she explained opening the boxes one by one to reveal first a necklace, then a bracelet, and finally earrings that were made of beautiful diamond-encrusted emeralds that perfectly matched the dress. "They were Nana Mim's 30th birthday present to Nana Sheila."

"I can't wear those, Shego," Kim said instantly. "The dress is one thing, but…"

"Of course you can wear them," Shego interrupted. "They go with the dress." She carefully took off the jewelry that Kim had been wearing and handed it to Chuck before fastening the drop-shaped emerald pendant around Kim's neck. The bracelet came next, and finally the drop earrings. "Now, shall we go win a costume contest?" she asked, producing the top hat, cloak and cane that finished off her outfit and opening the door for Kim with a flourish.

Kim smiled at her and reached up a black-clad hand to draw Shego in for a kiss. "You are awesome," she said when they parted.

"Only because of you, Princess," Shego said chivalrously tipping her top hat with a saucy grin before she closed the door. She got in on the other side and sat down as Chuck climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.

Kim was suddenly shy, and abruptly started talking to cover her embarrassment. "So, um, how does the car go with the dress?" she asked, making conversation.

"It is the same shade of green," Shego said. "At least according to Nana Mim, her parents knew how much she liked green and wanted to get her a really nice gift for her 30th birthday. They figured that it would also come in handy for the party."

"They bought her a car for a party?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," Shego answered. "But then Nana Sheila and Nana Mim drove it back to Middleton and it became their touring car. So it wasn't like it was a one-time ride."

Kim smiled. "Can you imagine driving that far in this?" she asked. "That must have been some trip."

"Pfft. Knowing them, they probably managed to save the world between there and here," Shego joked.

"Probably," Kim agreed. They laughed, and Kim was surprised to see that they were turning into the high school. It didn't seem like the trip had been that long. A small knot of students stood out the gymnasium waiting to get in. One of the guys noticed the classic Rolls coming into the parking lot and he alerted the rest of the students. They all turned to look, and one ran inside to tell everyone else. Soon the gym emptied out, and the entire school, including Ron and Monique, stood watching as the car pulled up to the curb.

"Well, nothing like making an entrance," Shego muttered wryly.

"You were the one that picked me up in a beautiful ninety-year old car that was sure to attract attention," Kim reminded her.

"The car went with the dress, and I am sorry, but as beautiful as you look in that dress, the Mustang was not going to do you justice," Shego stated, enjoying Kim's blush. She grinned wickedly. "Besides, I like making an entrance."

The car pulled up to the curb, and as was his duty as temporary chauffeur, Chuck got out and opened the door for Shego. She smirked, adjusted her top hat and swept out of the car with her cloak and tails trailing behind her. She circled around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Kim, offering a white-gloved hand to help her out of the car. Kim took it and emerged from the car to find the whole school looking at her. She smiled brightly and took Shego's arm, the crowd parting for them as they made their way to the gym.

"Now that was a statement," Monique, who was dressed as Vixen said to Ron, who was dressed as the Fearless Ferret with Rufus the Wonderweasel as his sidekick.

"No kidding," Ron agreed. "Who knew Shego could pull off the Zatanna costume so well?"

Monique raised an eyebrow. "She is wearing pants, Ron; she isn't Zatanna," she said.

"Then what's her costume?" Ron asked. "Pants?"

"No," Monique said, rolling her eyes. "Unless I miss my guess, that dress is early 20th century Parisian and the tux is custom made to match. It is kind of abstract, but they came as a society couple from last century."

Ron looked at them more closely. "No, they didn't," he disagreed. "They came as Mim and Sheila."

"Who were a society couple from last century," Monique pointed out. Kim drew closer and Monique's jaw dropped. She maneuvered her way through the crowd so she could meet up with Kim as she passed. "You look fabulous," Monique told her as they walked together. "But Kim, honey, I have to ask, are those things real?"

"Yup," Kim said smugly.

"How much money does she have?" Monique asked playfully.

"Oh, she didn't buy these; they're heirlooms," Kim answered.

"Same vintage as the dress?" Monique asked. Kim nodded. "That explains why they match so well," Monique reasoned.

Monique and Kim continued to chatter happily as Shego, Kim and Monique entered the gym, not noticing how they had all abandoned Ron. He looked after them a little sadly before following them into the gym.

Bonnie glared at them as they walked into the gymnasium. As the duly-crowned Homecoming Queen, she was doing her duty and holding court inside the gym, but they had spoiled that by causing everyone to go outside to look at their spectacular entrance. It annoyed her, and she decided to let them know, but even more annoying, they didn't care. They ignored her completely and went straight to the dance floor.

As if on cue, the DJ started spinning a slow song. Shego and Kim smiled shyly at one another, the both of them a little self-conscious, but soon they overcame that, put their arms around each other and started moving with the music. They forgot where they were, and they were so wrapped up in one another that the dance, life and the world spun around them, and they were completely oblivious.

Ron watched them from the sidelines, his heart breaking a little bit more the longer they were out on the dance floor. He had done the right thing on the beach in Mexico; he knew that he had, but now that decision was starting to hurt. He had let Kim go, released her from her obligation to him so that she could explore and find out what she really wanted. From what he was watching now, it was obvious that she had found what she wanted, and it wasn't him. There could be no more pretending that this was a crush or a phase or something that would harmlessly dissolve before she came back to him like she always did. That realization smacked Ron like a blow to the chest and he knew he had to get out of there.

"Let's go home, buddy," Ron told Rufus, now completely depressed that Kim was dancing in Shego's arms and not his and not wanting to be obvious about it. Rufus nodded sadly, and together they left the dance.

Or at least they would have, if they hadn't been waylaid by Monique. "Don't go, Ron," she said, having seen what he was looking at and correctly interpreting his thoughts. "I know it's tough, but Kim will miss you and worry about you if you are not here. Don't spoil her night."

"Why does it all have to be about Kim, Monique?" Ron asked, real anger showing through. "Why does she get to ignore me and I still have to care that she might be upset when she remembers that she should come find me?" He paused, and his face crumpled. "Why do I have to be the good friend who lets her go and doesn't hate her for breaking my heart?" he asked, his voice soft and plaintive.

"Because you are her _best_ friend, sweetie," Monique reminded him gently. She grabbed him by the arm and started to gently lead him towards the door. "Come on. Let's go get some air." Ron nodded and they left to go outside.

After the dance was finished and all of the swaying couples broke apart, Mr. Barkin got everyone's attention. "I need your attention, people!" he bellowed into the microphone. "It is time to introduce the Homecoming Queen and King and their court!" Half-hearted, sarcastic applause echoed through the gym. Mr. Barkin ignored it and proceeded to rattle off the names of the freshman, sophomore and junior princes and princesses. They all dutifully paraded from one side of the stage to the other and went down the stairs to the dance floor. Mr. Barkin cleared his throat, preparing to announce Bonnie and Josh as the Queen and King, only to be stopped by a frantic hand placed on his arm by one of the other faculty. They conversed in whispers for several seconds before Mr. Barkin turned back to the microphone. "It seems there has been a miscount," he announced, "and the Queen and King honored at today's half-time ceremony were not in fact the duly-elected King and Queen."

A murmur went around the crowd, and as Kim leaned up against Shego, she could swear that she felt Shego chuckle. "What did you do?" she asked softly. "I am not going to be the new Queen, am I?"

"Now why would I know a thing like that?" Shego asked, affecting innocent outrage.

"Because you rigged the election to get back at Bonnie," Kim replied.

"Did not," Shego countered, and just that second, Mr. Barkin announced Bonnie as the Homecoming Queen. "See?" she said, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off her face.

"Again, I repeat, what did you do?" Kim persisted.

"I might have put in a call into somebody suggesting that they recount the votes," Shego admitted.

"And?" Kim asked, but before Shego could elaborate, Mr. Barkin did it for her.

"It seems that the votes for King were incorrectly tallied, and Joshua Mankey is not King," he said. "Instead, it seems that Michael Peterson is the correct king."

There were whispers shooting back and forth, until someone figured it out. "Big Mike! Big Mike is the Homecoming King!" someone shouted in a stage whisper, and indeed, Big Mike, resplendent in his Incredible Hulk costume, was making his way towards the stage. Bonnie looked horrified and Shego thought about feeling bad for pulling the prank for all of two seconds before realizing Big Mike was an awesome guy who deserved an honor like this, and Bonnie truly deserved a King like him.

Big Mike climbed the stairs to the stage beaming, knowing it was coming because Shego had asked him, much as she had asked Kim, if he actually wanted to be King. He liked that idea, and so her plan had been set into motion, and now, Queen Bonnie was walking down the stairs with King Incredible Hulk in order to begin the traditional King/Queen dance. The school, too shocked to actually laugh, watched as the Court paired up. It wasn't until they realized that Bonnie only came up to about Big Mike's waistline that shock started to give way to amusement. Fortunately for Bonnie, the Court traditionally only danced for a couple of minutes with their partners before the entire school joined in, and when they did, Josh, the former King, took pity on Bonnie and cut in. And Kim, seeing that Big Mike no longer had a partner, let Shego sit one out and went to dance with him.

That dance finished, and Shego rejoined Kim. They danced a few more dances and applauded when Monique won Best Costume. It was only then Kim realized that Ron was missing. That concerned her, so she went to find him and found him leaning against the gym wall. She dragged him to the dance floor and danced with him for a few dances, and being the good friend he was, he followed Monique's advice and pretended to have a good time. After one or two, though, he begged off. Kim knew something was wrong, she had known him too long and knew his moods too well for him to fool her, but he refused to admit he was unhappy, and Kim had to let it drop, for now.

"I'm worried about Ron," Kim told Shego as Ron practically ran out of the gym.

Shego sighed; she had seen it too, and she knew what it meant. "If I had to make a guess, I would say Stoppable isn't as comfortable with us as he thought he was, and tonight we were a little too in-your-face for him," she hypothesized.

Kim's face contracted in a worried frown. Before she could say anything, though, Mr. Barkin was back up at the microphone with yet another announcement. "If I could have everyone's attention, I have a final announcement to make," he said, and a cheer went up at the word "final." "Homecoming is a time for school camaraderie, and so I think there is no better occasion to announce a new member to our ranks. Would everyone please welcome our new teacher, Ms. Nina Johnson," he said, indicating a young woman who had joined him on the platform.

Shego paled, even more than usual, and Kim couldn't help but notice. "What is it?" she whispered. "Do you know her? Did you steal from her?"

Shego grimaced. "I guess you could put it that way," she muttered, bemusedly. "Yeah, I know her," she admitted. "She was my first girlfriend."

"Oh," was all Kim said, but her emotions, already on alert because of Ron, went into overdrive. Jealousy flared up immediately, followed by protective anger. She didn't have the whole story, of course, but she knew Shego hadn't dated since high school and that Shego had been reluctant to start anything with her because of what had happened in high school. That made this person responsible, and Kim took an instant dislike to her that ran deeper than mere jealousy. This made Kim less than thrilled when she saw Ms. Johnson making her way over to them after she had left the stage.

"Hello, Sheila," Nina said cordially as she stepped up to them.

"Nina," Shego replied laconically with a nod of her head.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Nina asked.

"No," Shego replied simply.

"Hi, I'm Kim Possible, Shego's girlfriend," Kim said, stepping up and marking her territory. "I'm a senior here at Middleton. You'll probably be seeing a lot of me around."

Shego kept her face neutral and her hands at her sides, but she badly wanted to smile at Kim's obvious claim of her and even more badly wanted to kiss her for making that claim. Nina smiled politely. "I'm sure I will, Miss Possible," she said politely before she left them alone.

"I think I want to go now," Shego requested.

"So do I," Kim agreed.

Chuck was waiting for them as they exited the gym, and though they were polite with Chuck and each other, they didn't say much on the ride to Kim's house. When they got there, Shego got out of the car to open the door for Kim, and together they walked to her front porch.

"Thanks for everything tonight, Princess," Shego said sincerely, before gathering her up and kissing her.

Kim kissed her back, reluctant to let go. Though she was trying to hide it, Shego was rattled, Kim knew it and she, though she wasn't sure how, she wanted to fix it. They had to part eventually, though, and when they did, Shego smiled at her and retreated back to the car. Kim watched until the car pulled away before she trudged upstairs. As she undressed, she thought about everything that had happened that night, and as she crawled into bed, she sighed. Both her best friend and her girlfriend were obviously troubled and she wanted to help them. She just didn't know how.

After Chuck had dropped her off, Shego opened the front door of the Mansion and went upstairs. After taking off her clothes and making sure everything was put away properly, she flopped into bed. She fell asleep quickly, but that night, after an almost two week absence, the dreams returned, and she ended up not getting much sleep that night or most of the nights that followed.


	3. Put Your Loving Arms Around Me

A/N: Because this came up again, just to reiterate, this story is _Kigo_. And in what is actually new news, the rating on the story had changed to an M because the story is going in a different direction. And for reasons that will probably be clear when you reach the end, I hope everyone enjoys it.

Chapter 3 – Put Your Loving Arms around Me

Kim sighed, barely paying attention to whatever it was that Mr. Barkin was talking about. It had been a little over two weeks since the Homecoming dance and her life sucked at the moment. Ron was still avoiding her; she walked to school every morning expecting him to join her at any moment, but he never did, and as the days passed, Kim begrudgingly realized that this time he was not going to come back on his own. She had, although he had initially tried to assure her otherwise, hurt him badly, and there were some serious fences to be mended. She hoped they would be able to, because she had no desire to choose between her best friend and her girlfriend.

But then again, maybe she wouldn't have to choose if things kept going with Shego the way they had been going. They had only seen each other twice since the dance; once had been when Kim had dropped by to return the gown, and the second had been when Shego had stopped by the house to see if Kim wanted to go to the Middleton Wildlife Refuge to visit Rama and Anna. She had wanted to, of course, but had been unable to, which is why they now had a date to visit the spotted leopards this afternoon.

Today's date notwithstanding, it had been two pretty bumpy weeks for her and Shego. Shego had obviously been spooked by the sudden reappearance of her first and only girlfriend, and it was making her, for lack of a better comparison, act almost exactly like Ron. She only had contact with Kim when it was absolutely necessary and then for as little time as humanly possible. Stupid irony, Kim thought morosely. She was in the process of losing her best friend over a girlfriend she was also seeing slip away. The bell rang and Kim collected her thoughts as well as her books. Instinctively, she looked around for Ron, but when he saw her looking, he got a panic-stricken look on his face before bolting out the door. She sighed again and made her way out of the classroom.

She could hear whispers as she passed and while a part of her told her not to be paranoid, her rational mind knew they were talking about her. As it had turned out, no one had completely believed the Bonnie-spread rumor that she had dumped Ron for Shego until she had actually shown up at Homecoming with Shego as her date. Now that they knew for sure, the gossip mill had started in earnest, and for the past two weeks, these little snippets of whisper had been following her wherever she went. Most everyone had been great; the primary reaction from everyone had been shock, but when they had gotten over that, most had been accepting and encouraging. There had been others not as approving, though, and they had been, if not vocal, at least demonstrative about expressing their displeasure at Kim's choice of dating partner.

Like now for instance, Kim thought as she looked at a picture of a beaver about to be shot by a hunter that had been taped to her locker. She knew it had been placed there to offend, but for the life of her, she couldn't bring herself to be offended because in all honesty, it was pretty darn funny. The beaver had its hands up the air like a hold-up victim as the hunter - a woman, of course - pointed her rifle at it. Kim chuckled and opened her locker, placing her books inside before swinging the door back around. She carefully undid the tape on the front and released the picture before swinging the door back around again and taping it where the picture of Drakken used to be. She heard some incoherent grumbling in the background and knew that her amusement at the prank had not been appreciated by the people who had pulled it and who were obviously watching. She grabbed her cheerleading gear, knowing that if they were watching, she could probably catch them, but she decided not to bother. She would find out who they were sooner or later.

It turned out to be sooner as her "boys" as Shego still called them and who consisted of Vinnie, Junior and Big Mike, presented themselves at her locker holding a Middleton freshman by the scruff of his neck. "We found this guy hiding over by the water fountain, Cheerleader," Vinnie told her. "And he seemed to be upset that you weren't offended by the picture on your locker."

"Did he say he did it?" Kim asked, not willing to convict someone on conjecture.

"Not in so many words, Dude," Junior admitted.

"Then you should let him go," Kim told Big Mike, who was doing most of the holding.

Big Mike politely ignored her, hoisting the now terrified freshman up into the air. "Did you deface Miss Possible's locker?" he growled at the freshman who was now at his level. "And don't lie; I don't like liars."

"Y-yes, sir," the kid choked out.

"Thanks for being honest," Big Mike complemented him as he put the shaking boy down. He didn't let go of his neck, though and used this leverage to turn him towards Kim. "Now apologize," he ordered.

"I'm not going to apolo-" he eked out before Big Mike grip tightened and cut him off.

"Stop, Mike," Kim said, and Big Mike deferred to her, relaxing his grip. "Listen," Kim requested. "I don't know if you are doing this for attention or because you really don't like who I am dating and truthfully, I don't really care. But you should know that I not only have friends like the ones you have already met, I also have a very temperamental girlfriend who can shoot flames out of her hands that melt steel. I don't want to see anyone hurt, so it is in your best interest to just stop. If you don't, I can't guarantee you'll make it to the tenth grade."

The kid glared at her, but relaxed his face into a pout when the presence of Big Mike's hand around his neck made him realize she probably wasn't bluffing. "Fine, I won't do it anymore. It wasn't that fun anyway," he sniffed.

"Apology accepted," Kim decided. "Let him go, Big Mike." Big Mike did as he was asked and let him go. The kid didn't look at any of them, but instead took off down the hall.

"Thanks, guys," Kim told the three of them, as they watched the kid beat a hasty retreat down the hall.

"Anytime, Kim… Sure thing, Cheerleader… Totally, Dude," came out simultaneously.

She chuckled, and hugged each of them in turn. "I'll see you guys later," she said, closing her locker and heading down the hall

"Later," they echoed and went their own way down the opposite side of the hall.

Kim smiled as she entered the gym. She hadn't intended on liking those guys, but they had grown on her, and now there was a mutual admiration between the four of them. Still smiling, she entered the girls' locker room, put her duffle down on the bench and began to change, only to find the entirety of the cheerleading squad looking at her. "Um, may I help you?" she asked quizzically as she replaced her school shirt with her practice tank top.

Tara stepped forward nervously. "Um, well, we've been talking, Kim and um, we don't know how comfortable we are with you in the locker room," she blurted out.

Kim raised an eyebrow, but otherwise stayed calm. "O-okay," she answered slowly. "But I need somewhere to change for practice and…"

"We don't want you looking at us, you perv," Bonnie interrupted.

Again, Kim remained calm, figuring that since most of the squad had been stopping by at various times since Homecoming to show their support, most of this had to be Bonnie's doing. "Just a quick question," she said, having figured out her argument. "How many of you guys have boyfriends?" Everyone but Bonnie raised their hands. "So, from what you guys are answering, you all are pretty much unavailable," she concluded, and heads bobbed up and down in agreement. "So, then, the only one I could in good conscience be after would be Bonnie," she further hypothesized. Heads moved up and down once again. "Um, no, so not gonna happen," she stated dismissively and continued to change. The other cheerleaders looked at her, thought about it, and realized they were kind of being stupid about it. Doubts remained, though, and Kim could see it in their eyes. "Look guys, we have been a cheer squad for four years; I have had ample opportunity to look at you in your underpants and not once did I ever question my sexuality," she told them flatly.

"Liar," Bonnie challenged. "I have seen you look up my skirt while we are doing pyramids."

"No, you haven't Bonnie," Kim said evenly. "I am always the top of the pyramid so it is you who would have to be doing the looking."

Bonnie turned beet red and the other girls snickered because Kim was right. Bonnie marched out in a huff, and Tara stepped forward once again, this time to apologize. "Sorry, Kim," she said. "We were being kinda stupid."

"It's all right," Kim assured her. "I know not everyone is okay with me."

"But we are and we are sorry that we let Bonnie convince us we weren't," she apologized, and the other girls nodded in agreement.

"It's okay," Kim said with a smile. "So, is it time to practice?" she said brightly, completely changing the subject to banish the awkward. Everyone else smiled back and heads nodded again. "Cool, let's get to it then."

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

The Mansion's front doorbell rang, and Shego, who had been resting her eyes on the couch upstairs, was jolted awake. She glanced at the clock and raised an eyebrow; it was too early for Kimmie to be showing up because she should have been in the middle of cheerleading practice. Curious but mostly annoyed, Shego lifted herself off the couch and thudded downstairs. Just as she got to the front door, the doorbell rang again. "Yeah, yeah," she groused before stupidly opening the door without looking through the eyehole.

"Hey Sheila," Nina said nonchalantly as she stood on Shego's front porch.

Shego looked at her, a thousand different thoughts running through her head at once. Negative ones generally came to the surface first for Shego, though, and so it was bitterness and general dislike that showed up first and made her speak. "What the hell are you doing on my porch, Nina?" she asked sourly.

"I wanted to talk, Sheila," Nina said. "Can I come in?"

"First thing, I go by Shego now," Shego said curtly. "Second thing, while I am sure you do have the physical ability necessary to enter my door, no, you may not come in. I don't want to talk to you; I don't want to have anything to do with you. In fact, you are lucky that Kim has mellowed me out or you might not be leaving of your own volition."

"Still have a temper, I see," Nina observed.

"Yeah, I do; now piss off," Shego requested, shutting the door. She turned to go upstairs, growling when she heard the doorbell ring again. "I thought I told you to go away," she said when she found Nina still at her door.

"Look, um, Shego, I just want to talk," Nina said, trying to be reassuring. "It's just that I am living permanently in Middleton now and there is a chance that we might meet up or I might be teaching your girlfriend and I don't want either situation to be awkward because of what's happened between us."

"It's not gonna be awkward because I am going to avoid you like the plague," Shego stated.

"But Kim can't," Nina pointed out, pulling out what she figured to be her trump card.

"And Kim's more likely to kick your ass than I am," Shego mused, not wanting Kim to get in trouble because of whatever crap was between her and Nina. "All right, fine; we'll talk," Shego said gruffly, getting out of the way so Nina could come in.

Nina took in the sights as she came into the living room. "This is a very nice place," she complimented Shego. "I can see why you like it, but how did you end up living in Middleton? I always thought you would be a big city type of woman."

"I inherited the house, and it was where it was," Shego said simply.

"You had relatives that lived in a dinky town like Middleton?" Nina said incredulously. "I thought your family was far too sophisticated for that."

Shego shrugged. "One of the sophisticates fell in love," she said. "And her girl lived here. So here is where she came."

"Hm," Nina said, noting the blatant gender-biased pronoun use. "So why did you decide to take possession?"

Shego smirked. "My girl lived here and here is where I came," she stated matter-of-factly.

Nina didn't comment on that, but instead turned toward the front room. "Do you think we could have a seat?" she asked.

"Eh, sure, why not," Shego commented, leading the way and plunking herself on the couch. Nina took a chair and they stared at one another for a while as Shego lacked the motivation to speak and Nina didn't know how to begin.

"So I bet you are wondering why I am here," she began.

"Not really," Shego answered. "Truthfully, I don't really care. And besides, you gave me some bullshit line about wanting to clear the air to get in here, so I figure it is something along those lines."

"I do want to clear the air," Nina said firmly. She hesitated, deciding which way she wanted to continue. "I didn't accidentally end up in Middleton, Sheila…Shego," she admitted. "It took a while after you were gone, but I realized that I had made a big mistake when I broke up with you. When word started getting around that you were here, I decided to finally put my child development degree to use and move here to be with you." Shego could see where this was going and she didn't like it, but before she could do anything, Nina took a deep breath and continued. "I'm still in love with you, Shego and I am here to win you back," she declared.

Shego crossed her arms and looked at her, her brow contracting as she convinced herself that she had heard what she thought she had heard. When she internally confirmed it, the brow unclenched but the arms remained crossed. "You have to be out of your fucking mind," she concluded.

Amazingly, Nina didn't take offense, but instead tried to explain what would prompt her to make such a declaration. "Please, just listen to me before you tell me to get lost," she begged. "I didn't know who I was in high school and it took me a while to figure it out; it was only after I figured it out that I realized how stupid I had been. I know I broke your heart and you don't know how sorry I am for that, but please give me another chance. I promise you that I won't let you down again."

Shego organized her thoughts as she prepared to answer. "You didn't just break my heart," she said quietly. "You broke it, stomped on it and then ran away."

"I didn't run away," Nina protested. "I graduated."

"Yes, you graduated, but you broke up with me just a month before you did; you knew you were a short-timer and you knew you could get away," Shego pointed out. "And then you left me to face everything, the whispers, the accusations, and the social ostracization, _all by myself_ for the next three years."

"I was a senior and you were only a freshman; you can't put the blame for our age difference on me," Nina argued.

"No, I can't, but I can blame you for never coming back," Shego countered. "I can also blame you for telling _everyone_ that I seduced you into being gay, even though I don't remember being the one that started the relationship." Nina didn't answer; she knew she had no answer to give. Shego inhaled deeply and calmly, getting her anger back under control. "There would have been a time that I might have cared that you still loved me. But now, I have someone who I know cares very deeply for me and who is proud enough of me to parade me in front of her entire school at Homecoming. That's the type of person that I want to be with, not the type that puts the blame on me and then runs away."

"She's only a teenager, She…go," Nina said. "She doesn't know what she wants yet. How can you have so much faith in her when you have no faith in me?"

"Well, for starters, she hasn't broken my heart," Shego answered dourly. Then she cracked a small grin. "And she's a Possible; Possible women are damn tenacious."

"I hope she lives up to your expectations," Nina said as she got up to go.

"She will," Shego said confidently.

Nina sat down beside Shego on the couch having one more thing to say before she left. "I know you still remember the good things about us, Sheila, even though you pretend to only remember the bad ones," she said softly, and drew Shego in for a kiss before Shego had time to counter her. By the way it responded, Shego's body apparently had no problem remembering the good times, but her mind still did, and so put a halt to the proceedings before they could get started.

"You need to leave now, Nina," Shego said, pulling away and jumping off the couch.

"Of course," Nina replied smugly, having seen a crack in Shego's armor that she thought she could exploit. "Tell Kim I said 'hi'." Shego didn't answer, but held the door for her as she sauntered out.

Kim watched as Nina sauntered out the Mansion's front door. Jealousy flared up instantaneously, and Kim had to crack a smile when she remembered Aunt Mim's words on the subject. She paused on the sidewalk, cautiously watching Nina to see where Nina was going. Nina didn't seem to know, so just to avoid any awkweird confrontations, Kim climbed up the nearest tree and hid in its branches so Nina could look in any direction and not see her. Nina at last decided to turn right out of the front walk, and Kim made sure she was completely out of sight before jumping down. She walked up to the Mansion and rang the bell, her pique making her feel disinclined to use her keys. Shego answered the door, and Kim could tell from the look on her face that Shego already knew she had been busted.

"I didn't invite her over, I swear, Princess," Shego said hastily as they walked in, not liking the look that Kim was giving her.

"Then why was she over here?" Kim asked, her clipped tone betraying her annoyance as they climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"She came to tell me she is still in love with me and she is gunning to get me back," Shego answered truthfully.

An answer like that had to be truthful, Kim decided, even if it was the last thing she wanted to hear. "And what did you tell her?" Kim asked hesitantly.

"I told her she was out of her fucking mind," Shego replied.

"Really?" Kim questioned, unabashedly pleased.

"Really," Shego confirmed, and looking into her eyes to judge her veracity, Kim knew she was telling the truth. Kim could also see fatigue in those eyes and she didn't like it.

"Why do you look so bad, Shego?" Kim asked indelicately as she sat on the couch in the parlor.

Shego sat down on the couch beside her. "Tactless, yet rude," she quipped, quoting one of her favorite cartoons.

"I know," Kim admitted. "But you look, I don't know, haggard. What's up?"

"I've been kind of having some bad dreams lately," Shego confessed, unable to lie to those pouty green eyes. "And it's making me not want to sleep."

"Shego!" Kim chided. "I told you to call me something was bugging you."

"I know," Shego sighed. "But I thought I could handle them and they would go away."

"But they haven't," Kim clarified, and Shego shook her head. "What are they about?" Kim asked, figuring if she knew then she might be able to help.

Shego thought about telling her and then thought better of it. "I'd rather not say," she answered honestly.

Kim could tell she was being honest, and if Shego felt that strongly about it, Kim didn't want to press her. So, she quickly came up with another solution. "Okay, Junior, I'll cut a deal with you," Kim offered. "You don't have to tell me about your dreams, but in exchange, you have to lie down on this couch and take a nap."

"But we are supposed to visit Rama and Anna," Shego protested. "And as I believe I've mentioned, I'm trying to _avoid_ sleep."

"I know that," Kim replied. "But I'm not going anywhere, and if you start to dream, I'll wake you up."

Shego was tempted, but the specter of her dreams made her wary. Kim saw the indecision and as was typical for her bossy personality, she made the decision for her. She wrapped her arms around Shego and drew her back while at the same she drew herself back to rest in crook of the couch arm. The end result had Shego lying on the couch with her head in Kim's lap.

"I don't wanna fall asleep, Pumpkin," Shego protested again, but the horizontal position, Kim's warm presence, and Kim's fingers running through her hair made resisting seem really stupid. So she gave in, and within a few minutes she was fast asleep. Kim smiled and continued to arrange the long, silky, blackish-green locks while she gently massaged Shego's scalp.

It was the first part of the dream that sucked her in, Shego realized as she stood at the bottom of the stairs in her green bathrobe yet again. She cherished the first part of the dream, the waking up in bed with Kim's arms wrapped around her, the only getting out of bed to get their daughter, and the playful family atmosphere and chatting that surrounded them before that damn doorbell rang. Experiencing that made the second part almost worth it, and it kept her dreaming when she knew she should wake up.

"Run, sweetie," she uttered sub vocally as Kim came into view at the top of the stairs with Mimmie in her baby sling.

Somehow, amazingly, Kim heard her. "I told you, Shego; I am not going anywhere," Kim reminded her, coming down the stairs instead of disappearing into a secret passage like she was supposed to.

"But they are going to arrest you, too, Princess," Shego told her, despair and panic beginning to rise as it usually did at this point in the dream. "And if they arrest you, they will take Mimmie away and put her into foster care."

Kim paused. "I am not leaving, Shego," she repeated. "And there is no way they are going to touch our daughter," she said firmly, punctuating her words with a glare aimed at the Lieutenant. "I haven't seen a warrant for my arrest, and even if one is presented, I have not been read my rights, nor have I been allowed to speak with my lawyer, all of which should delay the proceedings enough for child services to get here before we would have to hand her over to the police," Kim explained.

"How will child services help?" Shego asked, beginning to see hope.

"They will give her to her closest relatives that are willing to care for her. That would be my parents," Kim said.

Shego felt despair lifting slightly. "They'll give her to Mom and Dad?" she clarified hopefully.

"Yes, they will give her to Mom and Dad,' Kim confirmed. "And she will be loved, protected and most likely spoiled rotten while we get the whole mess straightened out."

Shego looked at Kim and smiled at her, her confidence returning at both her wife's steadfast refusal to leave and her razor-sharp situational assessments. She shook off the Lieutenant's grip temporarily to put her arms around Kim before she got hauled off. "I really don't know what I did to deserve you," she said, and Kim's eyes warmed into an affectionate gaze. "Thank you. I love you," she concluded, kissing Kim on the head before the Lieutenant roughly grabbed her and headed her towards the car. It was strange; it was usually at this point in the dream that she was crying and as she was crying, the scene faded into her dorm room. But this time, she wasn't crying and the dream faded away into nothing but blackness and deep dreamless sleep.

Kim gave a little sigh of relief as Shego's breathing deepened and she sank into a deeper sleep. If what she had just heard had been an example of what Shego had been dreaming, it was easy to see why Shego was having trouble sleeping. When the dream had started, Shego had tightened her grip on Kim's legs but had said nothing. It was only when the dream took what Kim assumed was a downturn that Shego had started talking in her sleep, and from Shego's side of the conversation, a few things had come to light.

First, she and Shego were married, and perhaps more importantly, they apparently had a child named Mimmie. Second, both she and Shego were in trouble and Shego's solution was for her to run away, taking the baby with her. She didn't know if Shego could hear her, but she had answered out loud when Shego had told her to run and had answered with an emphatic "no", prompting the comment about foster care. This let Kim know that Shego was hearing her and she paused as she came up with something to answer. She reiterated her refusal to leave and then came up with some spur-of-the-moment explanation of why their daughter would be spared foster care. She wasn't sure if she was right, but it didn't matter, because when Shego heard that Mimmie would go to Kim's parents, everything suddenly became all right. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," she had said, and that had been followed by a "Thank you" and an "I love you" before Shego had fallen into a deeper sleep.

Kim resumed her scalp massage, thinking. Shego was dreaming of marriage and children and admitting that she loved Kim, although admittedly the latter had also been part of the dream. That was a far cry from "we'll wait and see" and an even further cry from the standoffish attitude that Shego had been sporting for the last week. But, Kim reasoned, if Shego was so troubled about the prospect of Kim leaving her that she was dreaming about it, maybe she was keeping Kim at arms' length as not to be hurt if she did happen to leave. That seemed reasonable, and when Shego awoke, Kim decided that was the topic that she was going to broach as carefully as she could.

Done with thinking for a while, Kim stopped her massage long enough to stretch and she realized she was kind of uncomfortable in the position she was in. She spotted an extra pillow, and using the dexterity that had served her so well as both a cheerleader and a teen heroine, she replaced her lap with the pillow without disturbing Shego. She then lay down beside Shego and curled herself around her, propping herself on the pillow so she could keep an eye on her slumbering girlfriend.

Shego floated about in the hazy space between awake and asleep and a line from a throwaway song heard long ago kept taking the grand circle turn of her brain. "_And when I dream of the fear that you're leaving, and I reach out, well baby then you__ put your loving arms around me and it feels like shelter…_" She wanted to ponder its deeper meaning, kinda, but before she was able, she started to wake up more fully and the time to ponder was lost. As she woke up, she could feel that her head was no longer in Kim's lap because whatever she was laying on was no longer generating any heat of its own. She started to get disappointed that Kim had not kept her promise, but realized she was being stupid when it became clear that the surface she as leaning on _was_ giving off heat and breathing rhythmically in and out. She opened her eyes to find Kim's sparkling ones looking back at her.

"Feeling better?" Kim asked with a smile.

"Much," Shego confirmed. Kim smiled wider and leaned down to kiss Shego. They parted, and Shego returned Kim's smile. "You are something else, Pink," she said affectionately.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kim teased.

"It is a very good thing," Shego replied, still smiling. She reached a hand up to caress Kim's cheek. "Thanks for sticking around, Princess," she said softly, so softly that Kim could barely hear her.

"I promised I would, Shego," Kim reminded her, unconsciously leaning into the caress. Shego chuckled and used her hand to guide Kim's lips to her own.

Something happened when they kissed, and the both of them felt it. They had kissed here and there as their relationship had progressed, but they had never managed to match the intensity of their first kiss, the one they had shared on the beach in Mexico. Which wasn't to say that they were any less attracted to one another, but there were always too many distractions, inappropriate locations, too many people and other intangibles that made anything more than kissing impossible. Now, however, it was just the two of them, all alone in a haunted mansion except for ghosts that were far too proper to be intrusive when the situation clearly dictated the opposite. This perfect location at last gave them permission to feel the full spectrum of what they felt for each other, not just the love that was obviously growing between them, but also the desire and attraction that had predicated the love.

Kim, acting purely on impulse and not a bit on thought, slipped out from beside Shego on the couch and came to rest on top of her, her thighs straddling Shego's waist, and, showing a flexibility that even Shego didn't know she had, she did it all without breaking their kiss. Beneath her, Shego, a bit startled by the sudden movement, broke away briefly, but swiftly corrected that mistake by raising herself off the couch and recapturing Kim's lips, using her hands to gently cup Kim's face and draw Kim down with her back to the couch. Kim willingly followed, causing her whole upper body to be meshed with Shego's.

Kim's lips tasted as sweet as ever, but Shego wanted more, and so opened her mouth to entice Kim to do the same. Her subtle prompt was clearly understood by Kim and Kim followed suit, her own mouth parting to allow Shego access. Their kiss deepened and though at first tentative, their gentle explorations grew bolder, and as their mouths grew more familiar with each other, their fingers and bodies longed to do the same. Quite of their own accord, Kim's nimble fingers reached for the front of Shego 's shirt and proceeded to unfasten, one by one, every button on the green, long-sleeved, button-down blouse.

Her fingers were forced to stop when they reached the waist of Shego's black jeans because the remainder of her shirt had been tucked in and was thus inaccessible. Not to be dissuaded, her fingers liberated the shirt by unfastening the button on Shego's pants and her hands pulled it free, allowing her fingers to access and unbutton the remaining buttons. Pale green skin was revealed and her fingers now amused themselves by exploring its soft surface.

Shego inhaled sharply as Kim's fingertips danced across her skin. She was peripherally aware that Kim had much more access to her than she had to Kim, and her competitive nature refused to stand for such an inequality. She put her arms around Kim, drawing her closer, but then sat up suddenly, causing them both to be upright. Kim ended up sitting in her lap, and Shego moved her hands to Kim's waist and then to her thighs, gently guiding Kim's legs so that they wrapped around her. After that had been accomplished, her hands drifted to the more tantalizing area of Kim's upper body, slipping beneath her tank top to explore and perhaps to liberate.

Except she soon discovered no liberation was necessary. The tank top had support of its own, so Kim had no undergarment underneath it; all Shego had to do was to divest her of it and Kim would be laid bare for her to explore. That thought made her breath catch from sheer desire as well as from sheer terror. Was she ready? More importantly, was Kim ready? She acted mature, but Kimmie was so young, was she really? Granted, Kimmie's fingers moving steadily northward on a liberation offensive of their own would indicate she was quite okay with things, but Shego hesitated.

Kim could feel the hesitation and it made her hands pause briefly so she could she could lean back and get a better look at Shego. "What's wrong?" she asked, hoping she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Shego hesitated and then answered truthfully, an annoying habit she had picked up ever since she had been associated with Kim. "I never want to give you anything to hate me for," she replied.

Kim kissed her. "At this point, I don't think I could ever hate you," she said softly. "And I would never hate you for this." She still saw brief indecision on Shego's face and her contempt for Nina grew even deeper. It had to have taken a lot to make a strong person like Shego this afraid of something, and Kim was beginning to loathe Nina for it.

Shego saw the love, desire and affection in Kim's face and she mentally berated herself. "Quit being so fucking neurotic," she told herself, finally annoyed at herself for her hesitation. "Take the incredible gift you are being offered." She wrapped her arms around Kim, intent on lowering her to the couch and removing that suddenly meddling tank top.

"Beep, Beep, Be-beep!"

Shego sighed. "You have to be fucking kidding me," she muttered, as she fell back onto the couch.

Kim sighed too, having seen that Shego was over her hesitation. But, she answered it, knowing that there might be some global emergency that Team Possible might have to deal with. "Hey Wade," she said as she flipped it on.

"Hey Kim," Wade replied cheerfully. He looked at her more closely. "Hey you okay, Kim? You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine," Kim said shortly. "What's the sitch?"

"Your mom called looking for you," Wade said. "She hasn't been able to find you and she was worried sick." Shego glanced at the clock and was surprised when it read 9:45PM. No wonder Mrs. Dr. P was looking for Kimmie. She dug into her pocket and produced her cell phone for Kimmie to call home with. Because the kimmunicators and her cell service allowed her access to whomever she wanted to call, she had never bothered to reactivate the land line.

"All right, Wade, I'll give her a call," Kim assured him. "Bye," she said, signing off.

"Here you go, Pumpkin," Shego said, handing Kim the phone before she could even ask for it.

"Thanks, Junior," Kim said apologetically. She dialed home and her mother answered instantly. "Hey Mom," she said.

Shego couldn't hear Mrs. Dr. P of course, but she could get the gist of the conversation just by hearing Kimmie's side. "I was over at Shego's," obviously went with "Where in the hell have you been," "We were going to spend time with Rama and Anna," was Kim's half-truthful response to "What were you doing over there," and "We lost track of time," was the answer for "Why in the hell did it take so long?" Of course, Shego doubted that Mrs. Dr. P used those exact words, but it was close enough.

"I know I missed brain loaf; I'm sorry," Kim apologized and looked sheepish when Shego looked at her questioningly.

"Brain loaf?" Shego mouthed.

Kim nodded, still listening to her fuming mother. "All right, Mom," she sighed, knowing she was in deep trouble. "I'll be right home." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Shego. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I have to go home."

"I figured," Shego said wryly, Mrs. Dr. P's "You had better get home right now, young lady!" having been loud enough for her to hear. "It's okay. Listen, I know you got yourself in trouble by staying with me this afternoon, but thanks, I really needed it."

"I know; that's why I stayed," Kim said smugly. She leaned down and kissed Shego, her hands zeroing in on Shego's still bare midriff. "I'll see you later," she promised after they had parted slightly breathless. She reluctantly got up off the couch, left the parlor and headed downstairs. Shego heard the front door slam and sighed. If Kim wasn't already probably grounded, she would have tried to convince her to stay. Her eyebrow quirked as she contemplated a late-night visit to Kim's room, but the last thing she wanted to do was get busted by Kim's parents, so as much as she didn't want to, she was sleeping alone tonight.

Kim hurriedly walked home, happy in spite of being in trouble with her Mom. She knew how to proceed now; between Shego's sleep talking and their other activities, she knew how Shego felt about her, and that gave her a great deal of confidence. This wasn't a fling for either of them; it was serious, and now that she knew that, she had to go talk to Ron. She knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, but she wasn't willing to sacrifice either her best friend or her girlfriend for the other and it had to be straightened out.


	4. Wishing You Were Here

A/N: Sorry for the long time between chapters; life has been busy. But I did make it extra long to compensate. :)

Chapter 4 – Wishing You Were Here

The Middleton Mansion - in the middle of the next morning

Shego glanced up as the front doorbell to the Mansion chimed. She wasn't expecting anyone this early, though she did really want Kimmie to drop by after school. She peered through the eyehole, having learned her lesson when she answered the door without looking and Nina had been on the other side. She did a double take when she saw who it was and then grimaced. She thought about pretending not to be home, but the big blue dolt looked like he had something to say, so she reluctantly opened the door.

"What the hell are you doing here, Hego?" she asked curtly as she opened the door.

"Hey Sis!" Hego said brightly, impressed that she had even opened the door.

"You have two seconds to tell me what the hell you are doing here before I close the door," Shego repeated and clarified.

Seeing that he had a small window of opportunity, Hego got right to the point. "Dad has cancer and he is going into surgery tomorrow. Mom asked me to try to convince you to come to Chicago to be there for him," he explained quickly.

"The hell?" Shego asked, angrily perplexed. "They cut off all contact with me and now Mom wants me to come back?"

"You didn't exactly try to reestablish the bridges of communication either, Mimi," Hego pointed out.

"Don't call me that if you want to live, _Bertie_," Shego warned him. "But why now?"

"Because you fight for the side of good now, Shego," Hego said happily. "And Dad needs you."

Shego sighed. "How did you find me?" she asked.

"Bob told us where you were," Hego admitted.

Shego rolled her eyes; she should've figured. "I'll think about it," she promised reluctantly.

"The surgery is tomorrow, Sis," Hego reminded her.

"That is the best you are getting, Hego," Shego retorted. "Now leave," she ordered, shutting the door in his face. She glared at the back side of the door. If every single person she didn't want to talk to kept showing up on the other side, she was going to have to move. Or, at the very least, she was going to have to dismantle that fucking doorbell. Kimmie wouldn't mind; she had keys.

Shego trudged into the living room thoroughly annoyed. So Mom wanted her to come back because Daddy had cancer. Well, fuck, she thought. Her first impulse was to tell them all to get screwed. They had kicked her out the house, out of the family and out of their lives when she had turned evil. They should have loved her for her, even if Goshens were supposed to be good people.

The room grew cold and the energy changed, so it came of little surprise when a familiar voice cut through the silence. "That is a puerile argument and you know it, Junior," Sheila chided her as she materialized. "If evil was truly who you were, then yes, they should love you no matter your inclinations. But considering your current status in life, it seems that evil isn't fundamental to your nature, and you were just being the stereotypical bored rebellious little rich girl and so they were right to shun you."

Shego looked at her and sighed. "I thought women of your generation were supposed to be demure and passive," she grumbled.

"I have always spoken my mind, Junior," Sheila replied with a smirk. "And you should go to Chicago," she added, a stern glare accompanying her unsolicited advice.

"I know," Shego said resignedly. "I have to make a few calls first, though." Sheila smirked smugly. "Don't look so smug," Shego ordered.

"It is not smugness," Sheila protested, her grin widening. "It is self-recognition."

"We aren't that alike," Shego muttered.

"Junior, in some things we are identical," Sheila said honestly. "Be well," she concluded as she faded from view. Shego rolled her eyes and reached for her cell phone. First, she called her professors at school; she was only taking a couple of days off, and because of Thanksgiving they didn't really have anything going on, but she wanted to explain her absence. Both of her profs completely understood and she hung up the phone confident that everything was okay on that front. With only one more person to call, she put down her cell phone and activated her wrist kimmunicator.

"Hey Junior!" Kim said happily, making Shego smile involuntarily.

"Hey Princess," she said affectionately. "Listen, Hego dropped by with some news and it looks like I'm going to be gone for a few days."

Kim didn't like the sound of that. "Is anything wrong?" she asked, her smile fading as her face grew concerned.

"My dad had cancer," Shego replied. "He is having surgery tomorrow."

Even though she was slightly taken aback that Shego actually had a dad, Kim hid it well and promptly asked how she could help. "What can I do, Sweetie?" she asked gently. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"It's okay, Pumpkin," Shego assured her, touched that she would make the offer. "It is just a quick trip. And besides, if you met my whole family, you would probably break up with me."

"Not a chance," Kim responded with a smile. "They can't be any weirder than mine." Her face grew serious again. "Promise you'll call me when you know something," she requested.

"Deal," Shego promised. "Talk to you later, Pink."

"Bye, Junior," Kim said, hanging up her Kimmunicator reluctantly. Something wasn't sitting right about Shego's trip to Chicago, and Kim didn't know if it was worry for Shego's father, worry that Shego might be having a rough time that she, as Shego's girlfriend should be helping her out with, or worry that Shego, made to spend a lot time with her family, might kill them all in irritation.

"Hello, Ms. Possible," Nina said as she passed down the hallway, startling Kim and making her snap out of her reflections. Kim looked at her, careful to keep a neutral look on her face. Nina smiled at her sweetly, and after she had turned her back, Kim scowled, unable to help it.

Something had happened at the Mansion yesterday; that much Kim was sure of. Nina had been giving her these sly, smug looks for most of the day, like Nina was privy to information that Kim was not. It was bugging the crap out of Kim and her thoughts were leaning towards violence. Three things kept her from going over the edge into psycho jealousy: one, Shego had admitted from the moment she had answered the Mansion's front door that Nina had been there and had even told Kim what Nina had been after. That wasn't indicative of someone trying to hide something, and Shego would have probably been trying to hide something if something major had happened. Two, their little episode on the couch made Kim confident that Shego cared about her and was attracted to her, so Shego probably wasn't looking to start something up again with Nina. And three, bizarre as it would seem to some people considering their former history, she trusted Shego, and that trust told her she had nothing to be jealous of. A thought occurred to her, and Kim cracked a grin as Nina walked away. That was one thing good about Shego going to Chicago, she thought. She would be away from the clutches of a conniving and still infatuated former girlfriend. Kim closed her locker just as Ron glanced at her and scurried away. That reminded her of her other problem, and she smiled again, this one resembling more of a predatory smirk. "Tomorrow, Stoppable, your butt is mine," she promised, shouldering her practice bag and heading down the hallway.

Over the skies of Chicago – that afternoon

Shego adjusted the controls on the jet, feeling like a bit of a schmuck for using Kim's Christmas present. But she needed something that was fast, and she didn't want her nosy princess to go and discover it in the hanger, so the solution to both problems was to use it for the trip. She sighed as the Chicago skyline came into view. Fabulous, she thought. Mother and Daddy's place was but a few short minutes away.

Luckily for her, Archibald Goshen II, Nana Sheila's older brother, had been quite forward thinking, and so had installed a runway at the family manse, meaning she could bypass all of the local airports and land exactly where she needed to be. She landed without incident, even though snow and a little bit of ice could be found on the runway, and when she disembarked from her plane, she was surprised to see Chuck there, waiting with a golf cart to take her back to the house.

"Welcome home, Miss Mimi," he said, a smirk tugging at his face. Shego rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You know, Chuck, if I didn't know that Bob was the one that squealed, you would be my prime suspect," she informed him.

"I was sworn to secrecy, Miss," Chuck protested, but the smirk was still showing. "At least about where you were," he added as a quiet aside.

"You told them about Kimmie," Shego accused.

"No, Miss," Chuck disagreed good-naturedly. "The evening news did that. I merely provided them with some details."

Shego frowned. This whole thing was starting to smell like a set-up. "So Daddy does have cancer, right, Chuck?" she clarified, prepared to jump right back on the plane if the answer was "no."

"I'm sorry to say he does, Miss," Chuck said, his smile disappearing. "But the prognosis is good, so we should only think of the best."

"Yeah, I guess we should," Shego said, admitting to herself that she had been so cynical for so damn long that optimism was going to be a tough sell to her psyche.

"Let's go inside, Miss," Chuck said, offering her a seat on the golf cart.

"Yeah, about that," Shego said, climbing in. "How'd you know I was going to be out here?"

"That aircraft is quite noisy, Miss," he answered. "And it does have a rather large logo on it."

Shego didn't say anything, but sighed. The prodigal daughter had returned, coaxed back from the dark side by love and if Chuck was any indication of what she was in for, the crap she was going to take for it would fill several landfills. She rode in grumpy silence all the way to the house. Chuck dropped her off, a teasing, unrepentant smirk still on his face as he drove off to put the cart away. Sighing once more, Shego resigned herself to her fate, climbed the steps to the porch and rang the doorbell. The door was opened at once, and Shego was unsurprised to find her mother standing on the other side. "Hey Mom," she said simply, waiting for the barrage to come.

"You should come in," her mother suggested. "It is cold out there."

Shego stood rigid on the porch, looking at her mother dubiously. "You mean that's it?" she asked incredulously. "I get kicked out of the house, told never to come back and when I do come back, I get a 'get in here; it's cold out there'?"

"Things are different," her mother replied. "Times change, people mature and right now this family needs you more than we need to be squabbling. We can talk about the other issues when there are less important things to worry about. So get in here, Mimi, before I have to drag you in here."

Shego cracked a begrudging and very small grin; okay, apparently she didn't get all of her attitude from Nana Sheila, Nana Mim and her dad. "Well, I guess since I'm now allowed to, I should come in," she decided, because quite frankly, it was damn cold out there.

"Hey Sis!" Hego bellowed from across the room, bounding over to hug her. Shego flinched and her mother noted it as she took Shego's coat.

"Hey Shego!" the Wegoes chimed in from the couch.

"Hello, Shego," Mego sniffed from his chair. "Nice of you to join us. _I_, of course, was here _last_ week."

"Stuff it, Mego," Shego said shortly.

"All right; That's enough!" their mother snapped, tired of it already and it had barely started. "Don't get started with that because it is the last thing we need. And another thing, while you are in this house, please use your proper names. You are Archibald Herbert, you are Sheila Miriam, you are Mervin Reginald, you are Wendell Augustus, and you are William Octavian," she said pointing at each one of them in turn, "and I would really prefer to hear only Bertie, Mimi, Reggie, Augie and Willie. The other names just seem silly to me."

"Yeah, like having all of our names ending in an 'e' sound is less silly than having them end in 'go'," Shego said sardonically.

"Must you always be so sarcastic?" her mother sighed.

"Yup," Shego confirmed. "If it's a problem, I can always go home."

"In spite of yourself, you are home, Mimi," her mother retorted.

"It hasn't been home since I got kicked out of it," Shego answered darkly.

"You know, you keep saying that, Cupcake, but I distinctly remember you storming out on us," a new voice reminded her, and startled, Shego looked up to see her father coming down the stairs.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, Archie," his wife protested.

"Eh, I am feeling better, hon," her husband replied, shrugging. "Besides, flagrant sarcasm was diffusing through the upstairs so I figured hell had frozen over and Mimi was back for a visit." He looked at his daughter with no discernable emotion; neither disapproval nor excitement could be found on his face, and these were the two emotions that Shego would have expected to see. "So what brings you back to Chicago, Mimi?" he asked, almost conversationally.

Shego couldn't tell what her father was thinking, and so, it put her on the defensive. As a result, her sarcasm shields activated themselves automatically. "I got bored and decided to drop by," Shego replied.

"I see," her father said noncommittally. He settled down into a comfortable chair. "So how's that life of evil thing working out for you?" he asked.

So the discussion was started, not with a loud shouting match but with a quiet sarcastic zinger, and Shego got a pang of nostalgia. Ah, family traditions. "It is on hiatus right now," she said, knowing lying was useless because even Hego would know she was lying.

"Hiatus," her father commented speculatively. He tried to stop it, but couldn't help a small smirk from forming. "From what we heard, it was more of a permanent thing."

"Looks like you got your facts wrong," Shego retorted.

"Really?" her father asked. "So you didn't save the world from blowing up? And you didn't put two of the world's most dangerous criminals behind bars?"

Shego grimaced. "Well, I was pretty much blackmailed and guilted into the first one, so it wasn't really a matter of choice," she answered sourly.

"Ah, but what about the second one? What was the impetus for that one?" her father challenged impishly. Shego remained silent knowing anything she answered was just going to get her in deeper. "So, how _is_ Kimberly Possible?" he asked innocently.

"She's fine," Shego muttered.

"Chuck said the two of you looked quite lovely at Homecoming," her father said, his smirk growing into a grin.

"So we're dating and it might have something to do with why the evil career is on hiatus. Can we stop being so fucking coy about everything?" Shego inquired, her embarrassment pushing her temper to the breaking point.

"Sure, now that you've admitted it," her father said amiably. He got up slowly and came over to his daughter. "Thanks for coming, Mimi; it means a lot," he said, wrapping her up in a hug.

Shego returned the hug, and a part of herself she thought she'd lost returned with it. "You're welcome, Daddy," she whispered. They separated and Shego could see tears in her mother's eyes; her brothers weren't far behind. Shego decided to say something before the situation turned completely into a fucking Hallmark® movie. "But you really shouldn't thank me. You should thank Mom, Bertie and um, Nana Sheila."

"Great-Aunt Sheila?" her father asked, his eyebrow lifting as he settled back into his chair.

"Yeah, she and Nana Mim are why I went on that first mission with Kimmie," Shego explained. Her family looked at her. "All right, fine," she sighed, knowing she was going to have to explain herself. "So it all started when Kimmie broke into Nana Sheila's and Nana Mim's mansion in Middleton…"

Middleton – early the next morning

Kim had never felt more like a stalker in her life. She was crouched behind a tree and waiting for Ron to come out of his house, ready to pounce on him like some crazy, rabid fan. The door cracked open and Kim could see Ron peering out cautiously before hesitantly exiting his front door. It was obvious he expected something to be up, and Kim attributed that to the fact that he was her best friend and he knew her well enough to know she wasn't going to lie low forever. He looked left and right down the sidewalk before turning in the direction that led towards the school. Kim watched him go, allowing him to be lured into a false sense of security before she waylaid him.

She let him get almost to school before she intercepted him, knowing it would be tougher for him to run away with crowds of students choking his exit opportunities. She flipped over a couple of people's heads and landed right next to him, causing him to jump. He looked at her, startled, before he came to and made a run for it. Kim was ready for him, though and grabbed him in a vise-like grip. "Ron, we need to talk," she said firmly.

"I don't want to talk," Ron said petulantly, struggling against her grip.

"Obviously, since you have been avoiding me since the Homecoming Dance," Kim said, glaring at him. "But I don't care; we need to talk and we are going to talk, regardless if you are a willing participant or not."

Ron struggled some more, but realized quickly it was pointless. "All right," he capitulated. "Let's talk."

"First off, I want to say I'm sorry," Kim began. "If I had known that you were really not that okay with Shego and me, I wouldn't have flaunted us like I did at Homecoming."

"But she's your girlfriend and you shouldn't have to feel bad for being out with her because I am having a hard time accepting that you're her girlfriend and not mine," Ron countered, surprising Kim. Ron had obviously been thinking about this for awhile. "I'm sorry I'm not a better friend, KP," Ron apologized. "I thought I could handle it and I can't. That's why I have been avoiding you this week; I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me after I left Homecoming like a jerk."

"Don't you dare apologize!" Kim ordered, relieved that he didn't hate her but pissed off that he was chastising himself for feeling what any normal human being would feel. "You have every right to be upset, Ron; I was just hoping that if we talked about it, you wouldn't be as upset."

"But I should be apologizing, KP," Ron protested. "Like Monique said, I'm your best friend and I didn't act like it at Homecoming."

"Because I broke your heart, Ron," Kim pointed out. "No sane person actually enjoys that experience."

They looked at one another and glared. Both were becoming angry, Ron because Kim was trying to give him permission for the way he acted when he knew he had acted like a jerk, and Kim because Ron was saying he had no cause to act like a jerk when he had every cause in the world to act like a jerk. Kim opened her mouth to yell at him some more when they noticed that they were at the front door to the high school. She took a deep breath and simmered down; she hadn't intended to become upset, but Ron's completely unexpected point of view had thrown her off her game. Ron, too, took a breath and they entered the school together, not finished with their conversation but wanting to finish it at another, less crowded time.

The first thing they both noticed was the presence of a girl they had never seen before standing in the middle of the busy foyer looking a little lost and a lot overwhelmed. Her bright blond hair had been cut short and styled into a spiky girl 'fro that gave her the appearance of a dandelion and she had several earrings in both ears. She was tiny in height, at the most five feet tall, and tiny in width. Her diminutive stature put her at a disadvantage against the hordes of in-a-hurry teenagers that swarmed around and Kim and Ron glanced at one another in sympathy for her plight, forgetting their own squabble to facilitate a rescue.

"Hey," Kim said, stepping up to her. "My name is Kim and this is Ron," Ron nodded and smiled. "No offense, but you look a little lost. Need some help?"

"That would be great," the new girl said gratefully. "I'm Lindsay."

"Nice to meet you, Lindsay," Ron replied amiably. "Got your class list? We can show you where your classes are."

Lindsay dug into her backpack but came up empty. She frowned and did a search of the pockets of her cargo pants but also came up empty. The pockets on her red flannel shirt were next and here she finally made some progress. "Ah, here it is," she said, relieved and pulled it out of her front pocket. It promptly got pulled back in and Lindsay sighed. "Let it go, Mouse," she complained. "You're in my flannel shirt for Pete's sake; you can't be cold." Kim and Ron said nothing, figuring the truth would reveal itself shortly. Lindsay tugged again and the paper came free, bringing with it a disgruntled, chittering rodent that Lindsay dropped into her palm.

Ron's eyes lit up at the sight of said rodent. "Is that a hamster?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Lindsey said, pleased that he didn't find it weird that she carried a hamster around in her pocket. "His name is Mouse."

"You named a hamster 'Mouse'?" Kim asked quizzically.

"It's a tradition in our family," Lindsay explained cheerfully. "We have cats named Bunny and Bear and a dog named Moose. What about you two? Any pets?"

Kim shrugged, not knowing if Anna counted. "Kinda. I inherited a spotted leopard, but she lives in a wildlife refuge," she answered. "Ron's got a real pet, though."

"Please, Kim, 'best bud'," Ron corrected. "Hey Rufus, come out and meet some new friends." Hearing his name, Rufus woke up and popped his head out of Ron's pants' pocket. "Rufus, meet Lindsay and Mouse," Ron said when Rufus had climbed up on to his shoulder.

"Is that a naked mole rat?" Lindsay asked excitedly. "I've never seen one so close." She extended a forefinger. "Nice to meet you, Rufus,' she said. Rufus took it and shook it. "This is my hamster, Mouse," she said, lifting her hand up to Rufus' height. Mouse and Rufus looked at one another curiously. After a few moments, Mouse cocked his head and stuck out a paw. Rufus jumped a little, surprised, but then stuck out his own paw. They shook paws and without warning, Mouse let go and ran down Lindsay's sleeve to her pocket. He emerged moments later with a slice of cheddar and ran back up to her palm, offering half to Rufus.

Lindsay smiled at him affectionately. "Mouse is a good little fella. He is very tame and very good-natured."

"Obviously," Kim said amusedly watching Rufus and Mouse munch on cheese.

"Rufus likes him; don't ya, buddy?" Ron asked.

"Uh-uh," Rufus nodded, his mouth full of cheese.

The bell rang and suddenly they all realized they were going to be late to class. "Let's see that class list," Kim offered and Lindsay handed it over. "Well, this is easy," Kim commented. "You must be a senior because you have the same exact classes as Ron and some the same as mine. Our first class is right down this hall."

"Cool," Lindsay said, honestly happy. "Back in the pocket, Mouse," she requested, and the hamster scampered back into her pocket. Rufus retreated back to his pocket and they all hurried down the hall to 20th Century History.

They all cruised in the door as the tardy bell was ringing and slid quickly into their seats. Bonnie, who had been chatting with one of her friends, noticed their arrival and got a good look at the new girl with her earrings, flannel, cargo pants and short hair, causing her face to grow disgusted. "How many lesbians to we have to have in this class?" she whined. "I am as in favor of diversity and tolerance as anyone, but how many of these weirdoes are we supposed to tolerate?" She turned to Kim. "I see you came in with her. Does this mean you have already dumped the green-glowing freak?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "No, in spite of yours and others' better efforts, Shego and I are still together," she said.

Lindsay's eyes narrowed and then widened as she figured out what Bonnie's innuendo meant. "You're gay?" she asked Kim quietly as Mr. Barkin came into the room and distracted Bonnie.

"Only just," Kim admitted with a wry grin. "And I brought my girlfriend to Homecoming. The school and Bonnie are still dealing with it."

"Rock on," Lindsay said with a smile. "I have two mommies," she explained. Kim smiled in return; Rufus wasn't the only one with a new ally, it seemed. "I take it she is Bonnie?" she asked, indicating Bonnie with her head.

"Yup," Kim nodded.

Bonnie turned her attention back to Kim and Lindsay now that Mr. Barkin's back was turned. "Trading lesbo fashion tips?" she asked snidely.

Lindsay smiled. "Well, we would, except I am not gay and I am not fashionable, so I would be woefully deficient on tips," she said mock-sadly.

"You're not gay," Bonnie said incredulously.

"'Fraid not," Lindsay said regretfully. "Biggest disappointment my moms ever had." Kim, and Ron, who was also listening, chuckled. Bonnie didn't know quite what to say to that, so she simply rolled her eyes and turned around.

"People!" Mr. Barkin called, bringing everyone's attention to the front. I know everyone is excited to meet the new girl…"-here Lindsay waved amicably-"…but we need to get started. Can anyone tell me what some causes of the Vietnam War were?"

"Psst. Hey Mouse," Lindsay whispered, poking her pocket, listening but not listening as Mr. Barkin started his lecture. Mouse poked his nose out and looked at her. "See that chick?" she asked, indicating Bonnie. "She was rude and needs a lesson. See if you can annoy her some. But don't get yourself hurt," she requested. Mouse nodded and chittered to show his agreement. He carefully climbed out of Lindsay's pocket and down to the floor. He made his way towards Bonnie, only to be stopped by the sight of Ron's pants. He thought for a second and then climbed them, smacking his paws on Rufus' pocket when he got there. When Rufus poked his head out, Mouse let him in on the plan and Rufus nodded enthusiastically, climbing out of Ron's pocket and on to the floor with Mouse.

They quietly made their way along the floor until they reached Bonnie's desk. Her backpack sat on the floor, and it was in the perfect location for two mischievous rodents. Rufus unzipped the front pocket and climbed in. Soon a corner of Bonnie's makeup pouch came out and Mouse grabbed it with his paws as Rufus pushed from inside the pocket. Between their combined efforts, the pouch was soon on the floor beside Bonnie's backpack. Chittering happily at each other in pride at their success, Rufus and Mouse unzipped the top and began digging through Bonnie's cosmetics, choosing a few to try. Rufus was the naked one with easily accessible features, and so he became the guinea pig for Mouse's creative endeavors.

Bonnie shifted in her seat, completely bored with Mr. Barkin's droning. She reached down to rummage in the front pocket of her backpack, figuring she could at least do something useful while she was being bored. Her makeup didn't seem to be there, though, which was odd, so she looked down to see what might have happened and promptly let out a high-pitched scream. Knowing the jig was up, Mouse and Rufus dropped the lipstick and eyeliner they were holding and took off for their respective pockets.

"What seems to be the problem, Miss Rockwaller?" Mr. Barkin asked, turning around from the blackboard.

"Stoppable's naked pink thing and a furry rat of some sort were in my makeup," Bonnie choked out, horrified.

"Is this true, Stoppable?" Mr. Barkin asked.

"Uh, no?" Ron answered, not having been aware that Rufus had left his pocket.

"Let me see the mole rat, Stoppable," Mr. Barkin ordered sternly and Ron pulled Rufus out of his pocket. Kim glanced over and clamped her lips together to prevent laughter from escaping. Mouse had done a fabulous job and Rufus was a stunning drag queen version of himself courtesy of Bonnie's makeup.

"A week's detention, Stoppable, starting today," Mr. Barkin stated, and turned back to the board.

"Um, Mr. Barkin?" Lindsay piped up.

"Yes, Ms. ?" Mr. Barkin replied.

"Woolsey," Lindsay finished for him. "I think my rodent might have had something to do with it," she admitted, producing Mouse who had makeup on all four of his paws. Lindsay hadn't meant for Ron to get in trouble and she wasn't going to let him take the fall alone.

"Not a good way to start, Ms. Woolsey," Mr. Barkin admonished her. "A week's detention for you as well."

"Yes, sir," Lindsay murmured and Bonnie snickered. Lindsay looked at her and smirked, holding up Mouse, who had, in spite of dropping the lipstick he was holding, still managed to hold on to some eye shadow by stuffing it in his cheek pouch. He spat it out, and Lindsay showed it to Bonnie, emphasizing the fact that it was now all covered in hamster drool. Bonnie glared and opened her mouth to complain. Mr. Barkin, the eyes in the back of his head working splendidly, forestalled her.

"I don't want to hear it, Ms. Rockwaller," he said simply. "The proper punishment has already been doled out for the crime." Bonnie snorted and glared at Lindsay once more, but eventually she turned back around in her seat. Kim, Ron and Lindsay grinned at one another before actually turning around to pay attention to Mr. Barkin.

The rest of the day passed without incident as Ron and sometimes Kim escorted Lindsay and Mouse to all of their classes. Kim became more and more agitated as the day went on, and as the last period rolled around, she was checking her Kimmunicator compulsively every five seconds waiting for Shego to call her with news about how everything went.

"KP, dude, what's wrong?" Ron asked, after her umpteenth looking at the Kimmunicator and sighing.

"Shego's in Chicago because her dad's having surgery today," Kim explained, still surreptitiously checking her wrist. "He should be out now, and she was supposed to call me when she knew something."

"Surgery? For what?" Ron asked, concerned, because in spite of her stealing his girlfriend, SG was still one of his favorite people.

"Cancer removal," Kim said hurriedly, looking at her wrist once more.

"Then why are you here?" Ron asked pointedly.

"I offered; she told me she didn't want me to go," Kim said defensively.

"And you believed her?" Ron asked in exasperation.

"Why wouldn't I?" Kim retorted.

"Because it's Shego!" Ron shot back. "She is not supposed to care when stuff like this happens, even when she does."

"And how do you supposedly know my girlfriend better than I do?" Kim questioned imperiously, even though she knew he was right.

"Because apparently you're a bad girlfriend!" Ron said angrily. "First, you dump me the instant you find someone else, and then you won't even support her when she needs you! I am suddenly feeling bad for Shego; it looks like I am the lucky one!"

"You're right," Kim said quietly, crestfallen. "I am a bad girlfriend."

Ron fell silent, completely unprepared for that particular admission. He was expecting her to contradict him, so that in doing so, he could convince her that he had been in the wrong with his reaction to her and Shego. But now she was agreeing with him, meaning he was in the right and she was in the wrong but that wasn't right and everything was wrong and Ron was getting so confused that he could barely distinguish right from wrong anymore anyhow.

"I'm not right, KP," he answered, after a pause. "I do think you should go be with Shego, but I don't think you're a bad girlfriend."

"But I am because you are totally right, Ron," Kim protested. "I wasn't comfortable with letting Shego do this alone, but I am here and she is there. And I shouldn't be involved with her in the first place because I was _your_ girlfriend."

"Why should you keep being my girlfriend when you don't like me like that? See, now you are just beating yourself up because I am an insensitive jerk who is having trouble getting over the fact that I am never going to be more than your friend," Ron disagreed.

"May I say something?" Lindsay cut in, having quietly observed the entirety of this disagreement. They both looked at her in a dazed fashion, so she took that as a sign of approval. "Both of y'all seem like nice people, but _damn_ are both y'all complete idiots," she said succinctly, her heretofore unknown Southern accent coming out with her amused disapproval. "You're pissed at him because he's not pissed at you and you are pissed at her because she's not pissed at you, and that really makes not one iota of sense." They looked at her, and she continued, figuring it was worth being the voice of reason at the risk of pissing them off. She turned to Kim. "You are right; you _should_ feel guilty about jilting the dude who is obviously your best friend for the first pretty face that strolls by. But, if his biggest worry is himself and not you, then count your blessings and keep assuring him that he is not the insensitive jerk that he seems to think he is." Here she paused and her grin grew wider. "And tell me how you did it, because I would love to have a guy _I_ broke up feel guilty about the breakup."

"And as for you," she continued, turning to Ron. "You need to stop using the 'I'm a bad friend' cover. Kim broke your heart; this made life sucky. But you don't need to feel guilty that it did make life sucky, because you have a right to feel bad. Ditch the completely inappropriate bad friend guilt and deal with your real problem. It seems like you've started, but you're not quite there yet." The bell rang. "Well, you two work it out and enjoy. Mouse and I have to go to detention," she concluded.

"She's right," Ron said, as they watched her stroll down the hallway.

"Yeah, she is," Kim agreed. They looked at one another for a couple of seconds before Ron spoke.

"I'm still having trouble adjusting to you and Shego," he admitted quietly and reluctantly.

"I know and I am sorry," Kim answered repentantly. "And if you don't want to be my friend, I understand."

"I am your best friend, and I always will be," Ron stated pugnaciously. "But apparently I need a little more time to adjust."

"Take all the time you need; I'll still be here," Kim assured him.

"It's not going to take long," Ron promised. He held out his arms tentatively. Kim smiled and reached for him, pulling him into a tight hug. They remained tightly embraced for a while, until Ron pulled away, knowing he was late for detention. "I gotta go, KP," he said, regretfully. He looked at her sternly. "And you need to get to Chicago," he chastised.

"Yeah, I do," Kim agreed. "Got your cell phone on you?"

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Ron quietly crept in to the classroom, hoping that Mr. Barkin would not realize that he was late. "You're late, Mr. Stoppable," Mr. Barkin said, not looking up from his textbook. Ron winced.

"Sorry, Mr. Barkin," he apologized. He spied Lindsay in the back and went to go sit by her, giving her a small grin as he sat down. She grinned tentatively back, not knowing if he was angry or not. She grabbed a piece of paper from her notebook, wrote something on it and retrieved Mouse from her pocket, giving him the paper. Mouse climbed down off of Lindsay's desk and climbed up Ron's, setting the paper in front of him. "What's your cell phone number?" it asked. Ron dug out a pen and responded, giving the paper back to Mouse, who took it back to Lindsay. Lindsay pulled out her cell phone and started tapping. Ron's phone tweedled, and he hastily put it on silent before retrieving the text and starting their silent conversation.

"U mad at me?…Don't know U well enough 2 be mad…So, no:) …Nope…Can I ask a question then?…Sure…Is Kim's gf that Shego?…Yup…Really? But aren't they enemies?…Were. Now not so much…Wow, never would've thought…I know, tell me about it…Tell me about it?...Huh?...Bet it's a great story. Wanna hear it…It's a long story. Don't want 2 text it. :( …How about Mouse & I buy U a snack after detention & U tell us then?…Make it Bueno Nacho & U have a deal…Cool."

"If the tapping doesn't stop, those phones are going to be confiscated," Mr. Barkin warned, still not looking up. Ron and Lindsay carefully closed their phones and put them away, smiling at each other shyly before pulling out work to keep them occupied until the end of detention.

Over the skies of Chicago – that evening

"We're almost there, Kim," Bernice told her.

"Thanks, Bernice," Kim replied, making sure her parachute was securely fastened. She had used Ron's cell phone to call her mother and explain what she was doing and where she was going. Her mother had completely understood and had even come to school to pick her up and take her to the Team Possible hanger. Kim had been tempted to just take the hovercraft and make a break for it, but she wasn't a licensed pilot yet and its legality would have been questionable. So, she called Wade, who arranged for Bernice to meet her at the hanger while he hacked into various computer systems and found out where Shego's dad was having his surgery. According to what Wade had discovered, his surgery had been postponed several times during the day and he was only now getting in to surgery; by the time they got there, it should be just about time for him to get out. Bernice had arrived, they had taken off, and now Kim was preparing herself to skydive to the top of the hospital she could see coming into view.

"We're there, Kim," Bernice called back.

"All right, I am opening the door," Kim answered. "Thanks again, Bernice," she said.

"Don't mention it," Bernice replied amiably. "The romantics in the artist colony will be swooning for weeks. And your baby will be back in its hanger when you get home." Kim smiled and nodded, opening the door. She tightened her helmet and parachute straps one last time and jumped out of the side door. Bernice chuckled and flipped a switch on the control panel, causing the side door to close on its own. Bernice shook her head. These kids had some nice stuff on this plane.

Meanwhile, in the hospital lobby, Shego was about ready to kill someone. The day had started off on a decent foot; after she had finished up the story of saving the world from blowing up, they had all gone to bed, and they had all been somewhat congenial on the way to hospital. But then Daddy's surgery had been put off at least five times, her idiot brothers were starting to annoy her as they always did when they spent a lot of time together, Mother was about ready to keel over from worry and Daddy had barely gotten in the operating room, so she was going to have to put up with this shit for at least another two hours. Shego sighed; she really wished Kimmie were here, but stupidly, she had told her that she didn't need to come to Chicago.

"Speaking of which," Shego thought. "I should call Kimmie; I promised her I would and she is probably stressed that I haven't called." She activated her kimmunicator and paged Kim. Kim didn't answer right away and that was puzzling. She was usually very prompt. Shego tried again, and this time, Kim answered.

"Hey Junior!" Kim said, trying to be perky when she saw Shego's downcast face. "What is the news with your dad?"

"He is still in surgery," Shego answered.

"Really?" Kim asked. "I thought he was supposed to go in this morning."

"He was, but his surgery kept getting delayed," Shego replied and the frustration was obvious in her voice. "He only just got in."

"How are you holding up?" Kim asked, concerned.

"I'm about ready to lose it," Shego admitted. "I am worried about Daddy, my brothers are driving me up the fucking wall, and my poor Mom is ready to lose her shit all over the place. I really wish you were here."

"Do you really mean that or are you being sarcastic?" Kim asked.

"I mean it; I would give anything to have you here, Princess," Shego said quietly.

"Well, close your eyes really tight and wish for it," Kim answered affectionately. "You might just get what you want."

"I'm never that lucky," Shego said dejectedly.

"I don't know, Junior; your luck has to change some time," Kim said optimistically. Shego paused. She could have sworn that Kim's last response hadn't come from the kimmunicator but had come from behind her. She whipped around, and there was Kimmie, a vision in jeans, a white turtleneck and the green sweater she hadn't managed to return yet with an adorable half-grin on her face and an overnight bag by her side. "I'm sorry, Sweetie; I should have come sooner, but stupidity prevented it," Kim apologized as she put her arms around Shego.

"You're here now and that's all that matters, so shut up, Pumpkin," Shego ordered, wrapping her arms around Kim and nearly squeezing the air out of her. Kim returned the hug with fervor and they remained there for several moments. They got a few curious looks from passerby as they stood there, as well as a few knowing smiles, but everyone let them be. They finally parted and Shego kissed Kim on the forehead. "Ready to go upstairs and face the inquisition, Pink?" she asked. "Dad should be out of surgery soon and we should really get back up there. I just couldn't be up there anymore and I had to come down here for a while."

"Sure," Kim said. "I'd like to meet your whole family; I just wish it were under better circumstances."

They grabbed an elevator and took it to the third floor where the rest of Shego's family waited in the surgical waiting room. As soon as she walked in, Hego brightened and jumped up. "Miss Possible! It is so nice to see you again," he said, shaking her hand enthusiastically.

**"**Very nice to see you again too, Hego," Kim said. "But please call me Kim."

"And you must call me Bertie," Hego insisted.

"Okay," Kim agreed, looking at Shego in consternation, hoping she would elucidate.

"Mom doesn't like the Team Go nicknames, so we go by our kid nicknames around her," Shego explained. "Hego is Bertie, short for Herbert, Mego goes by Reggie, short for Reginald, and the Wegoes are Augie and Willie, short for Augustus and William."

Kim noticed a blatant omission. "And what might you go by, Junior?" she asked, amusedly curious. "Because I know only three people are allowed to call you Junior." Kim thought about it for all of about two seconds when she came up with an idea. "It wouldn't be Mimi, now would it?"

Shego sighed. Besides being able to call her "Junior", Kim was also one of the few people who knew her full name. "Yeah, it is," she admitted.

Kim drew her in and kissed her in full view of her family. "How about I forget about Mimi if you forget about Bubble Butt?" she asked quietly when they separated.

"Deal," Shego said quickly, smiling. A polite cough sounded behind them and they turned to see a petite woman with fawn-colored hair standing behind them. She looked exactly like Hego and the Wegoes, so this had to be Shego's mom. "Oh, sorry Mom," Shego apologized. "This is my mom, Charlotte Goshen."

"I go by Lottie for short," her mom told Kim, extending a hand and Kim took it.

"It is very nice to meet you, ma'am," she said respectfully.

"I am very happy to meet you too," Lottie said sincerely. "Without you, she would not be here, and that must make you even more extraordinary than your reputation would indicate."

Kim blushed and Shego chuckled. "She does that a lot, Mom," she teased. "You'll get used to it."

"I hope she is around enough that I do get used to it," Lottie told her daughter pointedly and this time Kim got to chuckle at Shego's expense.

With the introductions over, there was nothing left to do but wait, so wait they did. Lottie sat in her chair and watched her children, trying to keep her mind off of Archie and what he was going through. Her mood was somber but whenever her eyes would brush over Mimi and Kim, she would smile just a little. Mimi was in love, that was obvious, and Kim seemed to be almost as far gone. Lottie had wondered from time to time if Mimi would fall in love again after the Nina debacle and choosing the life of evil, and now she had her answer.

At last the surgeon came in, and much to everyone's relief, he told them that that he had removed all of the cancer and Archie was going to be fine. They waited about another hour for the anesthesia to wear off and for Archie to be transferred to a room before they all trooped up to say hi. Still groggy from the anesthesia, Archie wasn't really up to company and they could all see that, so they turned it into goodnight instead. The boys went first and they all gave him a gentle hug, said goodnight and slipped out of the room. Shego was next and Kim came with her. "Good night, Daddy," she whispered, hugging him. "We'll see you in the morning."

Archie looked at her companion sleepily. "Nice to meet you, Miss Possible," he said, a drowsy smirk on his face.

"You too," Kim replied. "Feel better, sir."

"Archie," he corrected her.

Kim smiled and squeezed his hand before she and Shego yielded to Shego's mother. Lottie spent a few minutes with Archie as they waited outside, and when she emerged, they all had to decide what to do next.

"So what are your plans, Princess?" Shego asked.

"Well, my mom knows where I am, I am already excused from classes tomorrow and the rest of the week is a holiday, so I am here until you can give me a ride back," Kim answered.

"But the day after tomorrow is Thanksgiving!" Hego said, mortified. "You would spend it away from your family?"

"Well, Mom had to work a shift at the hospital this year anyway, so as a family, everything was going to be pretty low key," Kim shrugged.

"So you can be here until Sunday," Shego clarified, happy at the prospect.

"Yup," Kim replied.

"Perfect," Shego commented. "Then we'll fly back together on Sunday."

"Then it is settled," Lottie said. "Let's go home everyone."

They all nodded their heads in agreement and trundled out to the parking structure. They loaded up in their cars and headed to the house. Kim looked at it. "That's the 'house'?" she teased. "It makes the Mansion look like a shack." Shego shrugged and smiled.

Once inside, Lottie shooed them off to bed, giving Kim the room next to Shego's old room. Shego took her old room, the boys took theirs, and after Shego had given Kim a quick goodnight kiss, they all went to bed.


	5. Christmas Wrapping

A/N: So, this chapter had to come out before Christmas and I made my deadline. Yay! Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Chapter 5 – Christmas Wrapping

Kim and Shego waved goodbye to Shego's brothers and mother as their plane took off from the landing strip at the Goshen family estate. It had been a quick five days, and neither one of them could quite believe that it was gone and they were already on their way back to Middleton. Most of the time had been spent at the hospital visiting Shego's dad; he had been much more appreciative of visitors after the anesthesia had completely worn off, and so they took turns hanging out in his hospital room keeping him company. When it wasn't Kim and Shego's turn, they would find other things in and around Chicago to keep them busy.

The first thing they did on Wednesday was to go shopping; Kim hadn't been expecting to stay more than a couple of days, so her overnight bag had held little but a pair of pajamas, a change of underwear and some toiletries. They ended up at one of the most expensive boutiques in Chicago, and Kim nearly had a myocardial infarction at the prices. College wasn't going to cost that much. Shego had merely chuckled and started picking stuff out. By the time they were done, Kim had four very nice winter outfits, Shego had managed to pick up a couple herself, and the salesperson had a very nice commission.

The rest of their time in Chicago was not nearly as defined. They would catch snippets of time away from the hospital here and there, and Shego would use them to show Kim places and things that meant a lot to her. They did a little visiting as well; stopping by their office building to say hi to Bob and Mary, stopping by the Field Museum to admire a still-empty display case in the ancient culture gallery and say hi to Sue, and stopping by to visit Nana Sheila at the family mausoleum were all a part of the proceedings.

"Why weren't they buried together?" Kim had asked as they looked at Sheila's crypt.

"I've never gotten the complete story, and I was a little young to pick up on the politics, but I think it boiled down to your family not wanting to give up Nana Mim and my family not wanting to give up Nana Sheila," Shego said. "And there were some members of both families who were not okay with their relationship and didn't want to promote it by burying them together."

"Yeah, like it mattered," Kim said derisively; the stupidity of people always annoyed her. "Like people are really going to come into a crypt, see two women buried together and turn gay. Most people wouldn't even know they were a couple."

"Well, their ghosts turned you gay," Shego teased, and Kim would have smacked her if she had thought she was serious.

"If anyone should be fingered for making me _realize_ I was gay, it should be you," Kim retorted, noticing that Shego's eyebrow shot straight up when she said it. The eyebrow pop was followed by a smirk and, amazingly, a blush, and Kim was puzzled. She hadn't realized she had said something risqué. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing, Princess," Shego lied, trying to hold back a cascade of immature giggles. Kim scowled at her, honestly clueless as to what was so funny, which of course made it more embarrassing. "Let's go, Pumpkin," Shego said hurriedly, needing to get out of there before she lost it and got herself in real trouble. "We know Nana Sheila isn't really here anyway." Kim scowled some more, but Shego wasn't budging, and so the matter was dropped, but that didn't stop Kim from mulling it over when her mind had nothing better to do. It took her awhile, but she finally figured it out and smacked Shego for it. Shego didn't even need to ask; she knew Kim well enough to know she wouldn't let it go, and she was expecting some retribution when Kimmie finally figured it out. Shego just wished it hadn't been in front of her entire family as they were trying to eat Thanksgiving dinner in her dad's hospital room.

"Thanks, Princess," she muttered as her father and mother got another good smirk and chuckle combination in at her expense.

Archie knew that they were pushing the envelope by teasing Shego as much as they had been, so he decided to change the subject. "So how is the dinner?" he asked.

"Eh, considering it came from a hospital cafeteria, it could be worse," Lottie admitted. "How's the clear liquid diet?"

"I am thankful for the fact that they got it all and that colorectal cancer is one of the easiest cancers to treat," Archie answered, keeping in the spirit of the day. "I am not, however, grateful that my cranky insides have dictated that I have to be drinking clear chicken broth and slurping jello when I should be at home eating turkey with my family," he pouted.

"Well, your entire family is here because of your cranky insides," Lottie reminded him.

"True," Archie acquiesced, "but they had help."

"Eat your jello and stop complaining, Archie," Lottie admonished him tenderly. He stuck out his tongue but grabbed his jello.

The rest of time was spent in a similar sort of atmosphere; various combinations of five Goshens and one Possible would be in the hospital room and they would talk, tease and joke with one another until someone, usually Shego, would get bored and she and Kim would leave for one of their adventures. It made the time pass quickly and Saturday night came far too quickly for any of their likings. It was especially quick for Shego, who realized that night that she had a problem: she had flown out in Kimmie's Christmas present, and if she didn't want to let the cat out of Santa's bag, she was going to have to find them alternate transportation home. She had an idea and waited to get her mother alone.

"Um, Mom?" she asked that night after everyone had gone to bed. "Do you and Dad still have your plane?" she asked.

"What happened to the one you flew in with?" Lottie asked, curious.

"Um, it is Kimmie's Christmas gift and I would rather she wouldn't see it until Christmas," Shego answered.

"Oh, I see," Lottie said, a smile forming. "Sure, our plane is still in the hangar, but I don't see how it is going to help. You would have our plane in Middleton, and we would need it back before long. Unless…" she began, and Shego didn't like the mischief that was sparkling in her mother's eyes.

"Unless what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Unless you bring it back for Christmas," her mother finished. "We might be able to spare it until then."

"Ah, the catch," Shego said, knowing there had to be one. "Look, Mom, I do have to admit the last few days have not been as painful as they could have been," Shego admitted. "But that doesn't mean I want to repeat them in less than a month. I think if I had to spend much more time with them, I would kill my idiot brothers."

"You never did have the patience for them," Lottie mused. "But you seem to do okay with them when your lady friend is around, though. And she doesn't seem to have a problem with them."

"Her best friend is a lovable idiot; she is used to the type," Shego replied.

"Then bring her with you," Lottie proposed. "You won't get any complaints from us."

"She has already spent one holiday away from her family; I doubt she would want to do it again," Shego protested.

"Well, if you need her here, you had better ask, Mimi, because no you at Christmas, no plane," her mother said sweetly. "I suppose Kim can have her Christmas present a month early."

"When did you become so mercenary?" Shego asked, impressed.

"You did have to get it from somewhere, you know," her mother answered. "So, deal?"

"Deal," Shego sighed, not wanting to forfeit months of subterfuge because Kim had been unexpectedly thoughtful and put the screws to her hide-the-plane plan. "I'll be here as soon as finals are over."

"See, was that so hard?" Lottie asked.

"I could be lying," Shego pointed out shrewdly. The next morning Shego and Kim flew back to Middleton in Lottie and Archie's plane and Shego was grateful that Kim didn't seem to curious as to why.

It was the week before finals for Shego when they got back, and as a result, Kim didn't see much of Shego as Shego finished up the last of her schoolwork and did the studying that she needed to do. It was all right, though. Shego had told Kim that Lottie wanted them both back for Christmas, so Kim knew that she was going to be able to spend ample time with Shego over the holiday break. In deference to her own family, though, she wasn't going to be leaving to join Shego until the Friday of the 26th so she could be with her own family on Christmas day. So, with her girlfriend so busy she couldn't see straight, Kim was left to pursue other activities, like avoiding her girlfriend's former girlfriend and watching her best friend develop his first post-her crush.

Monique had heard a few things on the wind about Ron and Lindsay going to Bueno Nacho together, and she passed them on to Kim as soon as she saw her on Monday. So, when Ron and Lindsay joined her in history, she asked them casually about how detention had gone after she had gone to Chicago, only to have Lindsay gush about how fabulous the Naco was and how she had not had one in her old hometown. Kim then "accidentally" let it slip that Ron had invented it, causing Lindsay to shriek and Ron to blush. Kim chuckled and kept an amused and interested eye on them for the next couple of weeks, completely unsurprised when the afternoon excursions to Bueno Nacho continued even when rodent-induced detention did not. She would join them from time to time when either Ron and/or Lindsay would invite her, and she was reassured to see that Lindsay was as nice, mischievous and smart as she had appeared to be on that first day. Kim grew to like her more and more after getting to spend time with her, and Ron obviously did too, which made Kim like her even more.

Meanwhile, as all of this was going on, two weeks passed and Shego finished up her finals. She put off the inevitable for as long as she could, but finally, knowing she had no other recourse, she packed her stuff and got ready to leave, wondering all the while why she had agreed to come right after finals and not for just the day itself. The doorbell dinged and donged and Shego sighed, knowing it was her ride to the hangar.

"Hey Princess," she said as she opened the door.

"Hey Shego," Kim replied happily. "Ready to go?"

"Not really," Shego admitted. "But Mom and Daddy need their plane back, so I guess I have to."

"If you didn't want to go back, why did you borrow their plane?" Kim asked reasonably. "We could have taken a commercial flight."

"Ugh. I hate commercial flights," Shego said, her distaste obvious.

"Then how did you get out to Chicago in the first place?" Kim asked, having figured that should have been the only way Shego could have gotten out to Chicago without one of their planes.

"Damn," Shego thought, almost caught. "Um, when I told Hego I was coming, Mom had Chuck come out with their plane," Shego hurriedly lied.

"Oh, okay," Kim said. "Well, you promised them you'd come, Junior, so you had better get going."

Shego breathed a sigh of relief that the plane inquiry had been dropped. "Yeah, I better," she agreed. She gathered up her luggage, stepped out on to the porch and closed the door. Kim made sure it was locked, and they walked over to the car, loading the bags inside and getting in.

"Why don't you like your family, Shego?" Kim asked unexpectedly as they were driving. "I mean, mine annoy me sometimes, but I wouldn't want to be apart from them for too long."

"I don't not like them," Shego protested, glad that they weren't at the Mansion because she knew Nana Mim would have appeared to beat her about the head and neck for the double negative. "They're my family."

"Then why didn't you visit until your dad was in the hospital?" Kim asked.

"I wasn't welcome," Shego answered. "Mom and especially Daddy had a really hard time when I left Team Go to turn evil. Goshens aren't supposed to be evil; they're supposed to be pillars of the community who use their fame and fortune to help those around them. People in general annoy the shit out of me, though, so the last thing I wanted to do was help them. Daddy could never quite understand that, and when I told them I was leaving Team Go, we had a huge fight and I walked out. And then he told me not to come back unless I got my priorities straightened out."

Kim picked up on something that piqued her interest. "Why do people annoy you?" Kim asked, curious.

"Because most of them are as dumb as a box of hammers," Shego replied. "And stupidity annoys the shit out of me."

"And yet you worked for Drakken?" Kim asked quizzically. Shego shrugged. She really had no explanation for that. "So what if what you think is stupidity is just differential logic?" Kim asked, pressing on. "Not everyone sees the world the way you do, Shego, so they might just be coming at it from a different angle."

"But, see, that's the thing; I've always thought my angle is always the best," Shego stated immodestly. She pulled the Mustang up to the hangar and put it in park. "I mean, Mom and Dad always taught me there were other perspectives, but even as a kid, I thought my way was best. Then I grew up and _knew_ my way was best. There have really only been two people who have ever convinced me otherwise and one of them left awhile before the second one managed to show up," she explained. "So, in the interim, everyone else was stupid and annoying and I didn't want to help them out. Being evil was the best way of getting out of that, and hence, not much of a family life."

"Hm," Kim commented, taking it all in. "Why do I convince you otherwise?" she asked.

"Because I didn't have to tell you that you were one of the two," Shego said simply. She grinned self-effacingly and a very light blush covered her cheeks. "And, apparently, I'm a sucker for redheads," she admitted.

Kim laughed at that and gave her a kiss before she jumped out of the car. Shego got out as well, popping the trunk to get her stuff before giving Kim the keys to the car. They went into the hangar and Kim put Shego's luggage in the plane while Shego checked everything out to make sure it was flight-worthy. It was, so there was not much else to do but say goodbye.

"Call me at night if you get a chance," Kim requested. "And please don't kill your brothers."

"I make no promises, Pumpkin," Shego declared, before gathering Kim up in her arms. "Have a good time with your family, but come as soon as you can, Pink," she pleaded only half-jokingly, kissing Kim soundly.

"I'll be there Friday afternoon," Kim promised, only to have Shego pout. "Early Friday afternoon," she hastily amended.

"See you then, Princess," Shego said, reluctantly letting her go and climbing the steps into the plane. She waved goodbye from the cockpit and Kim waved back. The doors to the hanger opened and Shego taxied out, getting the all-clear from the tower before she positioned herself correctly and took off. Kim watched her plane until she couldn't see it anymore, closed the hanger doors and then climbed into the Mustang to go home.

Monday night, Tuesday, and Wednesday passed quickly for Kim as she did the last-minute shopping and wrapping that she hadn't had time to do until then. Shego's gift had been planned for months, and it was finally done, so she was at last able to pick it up and get it ready to go. Ron's gift had also been tough to find, but at last she had located what she was looking for and it too was now wrapped in festive Hanukkah paper and ready to go. Her Nana's, parents' and brothers' gifts were also done, so Wednesday evening, Kim was ready to settle into full on holiday mode, complete with Snowman Hank on the TV and her family and Ron on the couch. Of course, that was the point her Kimmunicator beeped.

"What's the sitch, Wade," she said unenthusiastically, not really wanting to go on a mission on Christmas Eve.

"Got an e-mail from the Middleton Mansion," Wade replied. "Mim and Sheila have something for you and um, 'Junior' that they want you to pick up."

"That's it?" Kim asked, relieved.

"Yup," Wade confirmed. "And thanks for the gift. I love Toriyama's work."

"I figured you would," Kim replied happily. "Thanks for the info, Wade; I will head over there soon."

"Merry Christmas, Kim," Wade answered and signed off.

Kim bounded down the stairs. "I have to run a quick errand," she told everyone. "I will be right back, I promise." They all looked at her dubiously, knowing that "quick errands" turned into weeklong missions for Kim, but she was true to her word and the whole trip took less than fifteen minutes. "I'm back," she announced, carrying a square, ornately-wrapped box.

"Who's that from, Kimmie-cub?" her father asked.

"It's for Shego and me from Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila," she answered. "They want me to take it to Chicago with me." Her father nodded, as did her mother, brothers and grandmother, and Kim couldn't help but be grateful for a family that was perfectly okay with her getting a Christmas present from two women who had been dead for over fifteen years. She carefully put the package on her pile of stuff that was going with her to Chicago and then snuggled down next to Ron on the couch. He smiled, she smiled back, and the wondrous saga of Snowman Hank began.

Ron went home when it was over and the rest of the Possible clan when to bed. They all slept peacefully until the tweebs woke up, at which point the entire house was awakened due to the thundering footsteps up and down the stairs and the hallway. The yelling also precluded any kind of sleep, so all of the adults put on their robes and came downstairs. Mrs. Dr. Possible put on some coffee while the rest of them gathered around the tree. When his wife had joined them, Mr. Possible started passing out presents.

Kim got the usual collection of socks, underwear, sweaters and pajamas, as well as an iPop from her Nana. "Thanks, Nana!" she said happily, having wanted the trendy item for a while.

"You're welcome, Kimberly-Ann," her Nana said. "And thank you for the SCUBA gear."

"You're welcome, Nana," Kim replied.

"Thanks, Kim!" Tim and Jim shouted, as they opened their gift from Kim. "Gift card to the N-Bohrium! Sweet! They sell all of the good chemicals!" her brothers said excitedly.

"Um, Kimmie-cub, do you think that was wise?" her father asked.

"A friend of mine works there, Dad," Kim explained, handing him a box. "He promised not to let them buy anything dangerous."

"Oh, okay," Mr. Dr. Possible said, relieved. "And what is this?" he said, shaking the box gently. "Hey hon, come over here. This is to the both of us." Mrs. Dr. Possible sat on the couch next to him, and together they opened to the box to reveal three antique frames. The first frame held a picture of the Possible family circa 1965 in which a ten-year old James Timothy Possible stood next to his fifteen-year old brother Slim. They were flanked by their parents, Timothy and a much younger Nana Possible, who were in turn flanked by Timothy's parents, Mim's younger brother James and his wife Elizabeth. The second frame held a picture that was very similar in composition, but with a different family. In this one, an eight-year old Ann, her first cousins Betty and Sheldon, and the rest of the kids were positioned in front with Bertram's adult descendants, Ann's mother and Betty's father included, clustered behind them.

"Where on earth did you find these, Kimmie-cub?" her father asked, looking at the Possible picture with reverence before handing it to his mother. Ann Possible didn't say anything, but just smiled at Kim, her thanks for the picture coming through in her gaze.

"I had help," Kim said modestly, blushing at her parents' reaction.

"They're beautiful," her mother said at last. She carefully put down her family portrait to grab the third frame in the box, the picture that had been forgotten when they had seen the other two. This frame held a picture of a raven-haired girl, a redheaded, mostly-bald baby and a clouded leopard all cuddled up together and sleeping peacefully. Ann chuckled. "I remember that visit," she said. "Your bassinet came back ruined. Been sleeping together for a while, have you?" she joked.

"Mom!" Kim groaned, blushing even deeper.

Ann chuckled at her daughter's discomfort. "I need your help with something, Kim," her mother said. "Do you think you could throw some clothes on and help me out?"

"Sure, Mom," Kim said agreeably, noticing that the rest of the family was trying to look disinterested but had perked up as soon as her Mom had spoken. Intrigued, she went upstairs to change, and suspiciously, everyone else scattered and got dressed as soon as she left to do so. And, when she came back downstairs, everyone except her mother was still noticeably absent. Her mom didn't say anything but grabbed her coat off the coat rack, put in on and headed out the front door. Kim followed suit, zipping up her jacket and heading out into the late December cold, only to be stopped by the sight of a beautiful, mint-condition 1967 Volkswagen Type 2. It was fluorescent green, and Kim looked at her mother in amusement.

"Yes, we did consult outside sources about the color," her mother admitted.

Kim laughed and scampered off the porch to look at her new ride, causing various Possibles to pop out of their hiding places. "We are totally going to fix it up for you, Kim," Tim and Jim promised. "We already have plans for the rocket launcher and the jet engine, and we are working with Wade to get communications fully integrated into the dash. We also promised Nana we would put in a jack for your iPop."

"Like it, Kimmie-cub?" her father asked hopefully. "I had one just like it in high school and it was a tank. I figured it would be nice and safe for you, even when these guys get done with it, and you would have room for everyone."

"I love it, Dad; thank you so much," Kim said gratefully, hugging him.

"Hey KP! Sweet new ride!" Ron's voice called out, and Kim turned to see him, along with Lindsay, coming up the driveway.

"Did you know about this?" Kim demanded as she bounded over to jump on him. "Merry Christmas, Lindsay," she added as she was pummeling him.

"Merry Christmas, Kim," Lindsay replied, laughing as Ron put up his hands in surrender.

"Yes, I knew about it, but your Mom threatened me with bodily harm, so I couldn't say anything," Ron protested. "Stop hitting me."

Kim relented. "Only because it is Christmas," she said. By saying that, she realized that it _was_ still Christmas and she hadn't given Ron his gift yet. She went to each of her family members and gave them each an enormous hug in thanks. "I love it," she gushed. Her mom, last to be hugged, hugged her back and realized how cold it was out there.

"All right, we've all seen the car and Kim loves it. Everyone back inside," she ordered, and they all willingly complied.

When they were all back inside, Kim went to fetch the gifts she had for Ron and Lindsay. "Happy fifth day of Hanukkah, Ron," she said, handing him the blue box. "Merry Christmas, Lindsay," she said, handing her the red package. They both grinned and produced the packages they were carrying. They all smiled shyly at one another before giving up on ceremony and tearing into the packages.

Ron won the competition and got his present open first. He opened the box, his eyes widened, and he carefully lifted out its contents. It was Snowman Hank, or at least it was a nine-inch model of Snowman Hank. He looked at Kim. "Where did you get this?" he asked, delighted. "They don't sell Snowman Hank toys anymore."

"It's not a toy," Kim corrected him. "That's actually Snowman Hank."

Kim didn't think it was possible, but Ron's eyes got even wider. "You mean this is…" he stopped mid-sentence, unable to get the words out.

"It's the actual figure from the TV show," Kim confirmed. Ron looked at it in awe, handed it carefully to Lindsay and then grabbed Kim in a hug. "That is just so awesome that I can't even say," he said.

"I'm glad you like it," Kim said happily.

"I love it," Ron replied, as he took it back from Lindsay. "Hey Rufus, you gotta come out and see this thing!"

Kim smiled and continued to attack her presents. She got Ron's opened first, and with a chuckle pulled out a Naco-scented car air freshener and a gift card from Dinoco. "For the new car," Ron explained, somewhat unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I figured," Kim replied wryly. She opened her package from Lindsay, and in it were a beautiful green flannel shirt and a brand-new pair of brown Birkenstocks.

Lindsay grinned and shrugged. "My Moms said it was the law that you have these in your wardrobe," she said impishly.

"Thanks," Kim said, hugging her. "And thank your Moms."

Lindsay nodded, smiling, and continued opening her package from Kim. It was mainly a card, but something dropped out when she opened it. "A gift card to the House of Freaks?" she said, stoked. "I have been wanting to get something done there ever since I got into town. "

"Which is what I was hoping," Kim replied cheerfully. Now that the last of the presents had been opened, there was a bit of a lull, and Kim looked at Ron to see if he would be up for a ride in the new car. It was only then that she noticed that he and Rufus were wearing the exact same sweater in different sizes as they examined Snowman Hank. She looked at Lindsay.

"Yeah, those were my doing," Lindsay confessed.

"They're adorable," Kim said. "And you got him out of that red shirt. Nice job." Lindsay smiled. "May I try out my new car, Mom?" she asked as her mother.

"Sure, just be careful; it is slick out there," her mother warned. "And dinner is at 5, so be back by then."

"Okay," Kim agreed. "You guys want to go for a ride?" she offered Ron and Lindsay.

"Sure," they replied and the three of them made a break for the door.

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The Goshen Estate – Christmas Morning

Shego leaned back in the wingback chair in the sitting room, her legs slung over one of the arms. Mom always hated when she sat in the good chairs like this, and even though she was back in the family and everything was for the most part cool, she couldn't help being a little subversive. The last few days had been tolerable, and at various points had almost reached pleasant. She interacted with her brothers here and there, but she spent most of the time with her mother and especially her father, catching up on the last few years under the guise of helping them out around the estate. It made the time pass quickly and fairly pleasantly, because Shego was always more prone to talk while she was doing something, whether that something be trading flying tips with her mother or painting with her father, so they actually got to talk.

Shego snapped out of her reverie when an energy beam came rushing toward her head. She put up a palm and the beam hit it, dissipating as she absorbed the energy. "Sorry, Mimi!" Augie called out penitently.

"Be more careful, Dumbass," Shego shot back. "You are going to catch the curtains on fire and Mom's gonna be pissed at all of us. Besides, isn't all of that crap supposed to be for Go Tower?"

"Quite right," Lottie agreed, wanting to spare her curtains. "Boys, put those things away until you get back to Go City," she told them.

"Aw, Mom!" the Wegoes, Mego and Hego whined. Their mother fixed them with a stern glare and they sighed, gathering up the laser pistols, the plasma cannons, the portable communicators, and the self-detonating tear-gas canisters into a pile by the tree. "Come on, guys," Hego said, grabbing the football they had also been given and taking off down the hallway. The rest of them rushed after him and Shego, Lottie and Archie could hear the tinkling of breaking glass as they went down the hallway.

"TAKE IT OUTSIDE!" Lottie bellowed, and Shego put the tip of her finger in her ear and shook it, trying to bring back her hearing. "Quit being dramatic, Mimi, and open your last gift," Lottie said, handing Shego a large box. Shego looked at the box interestedly; Mom and Dad were obviously glad to have her back and she had gotten a ton of stuff, but this was the last present, which meant it was supposed to be the grand finale. She ripped off the paper and sliced open the tape that held the box closed with a small stream of plasma, tossing out newspaper stuffing until she found three boxes. "Open the big one first," Lottie requested, so Shego did, and discovered a bright green crop-sleeved shirt and black cargo pants. Looking more carefully at the shirt, Shego was unsurprised to find the yellow and green "KP" logo positioned on a black oval just above the left breast.

"What was wrong with my old one?" Shego protested, liking the new uniform quite a lot, but not quite seeing why she needed a new one.

"You're not a part of Team Go anymore and you never will be again," her father said reasonably. "We figured this is more representative of you and your life. Plus, it's flame retardant," he said excitedly.

"My old one had to be too," Shego pointed out, but she couldn't resist lighting up. Sure enough, the fabric did nothing but sway in the air currents generated by the heat. She grinned and put the uniform down before opening the other boxes. One box held green gloves and green boots that matched the shirt, and the other held a utility belt. There was nothing in it, but Shego figured Wade would have no problem filling it up. "Thanks, guys," she said, slipping off her chair and hugging each one of her folks. "It really is kinda cool," she admitted.

"Half-hearted at best, but from you, Mimi, it is glowing adoration," her father said merrily. "We were hoping you would like it."

"I do," Shego admitted, as she retrieved the last package under the tree. "And this is for you guys," she said, handing them the package and reclaiming her chair.

Her father took it and her mother left her chair to sit on the arm of Archie's. The paper came off, the box was opened and out came a picture frame. As it emerged, Shego had a twinge of guilt for stealing Kimmie's idea, but she got over it quickly, especially when her parents' faces lit up into very wide grins.

"Is that baby who I think it is?" her mother asked.

"Yup, that's Kimmie," Shego confirmed.

"Wow, I mean I know you are many things, Mimi, but I never would have figured you for a cradle robber," her father joked.

Shego rolled her eyes; she knew that joke was going to rear its ugly head some time. "Uh, yeah, thanks for that, Daddy," she said.

"Incoming!" came the bellow from the hallway and Shego suddenly found herself with a football in her lap. She growled, popped up and took off down the hall, and there were unmanly shrieks of terror as her brothers ran the other way.

"Mom told you to play outside, goddamn it!" was the last thing Archie and Lottie heard before they saw their brood pop out the back door and into the snow covering the gardens. The boys scattered, and Shego went tearing after them. Archie and Lottie smiled as they watched. It was so nice to have the family back together again and it felt like old times.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

The Goshen Estate – December 26th

Shego sat on the bench after brushing the snow off of the seat. It was in the perfect location for watching for Kimmie as she approached in the hovercraft, and it also had the added bonus of being quiet. After listening to the din of her brothers for most of the previous day, quiet was good. It was also cold outside, and cold had the benefit of keeping it quiet by shooing everyone else indoors. Shego was pretty much impervious to cold; she could feel it, she wore sweaters and coats to ward it off, but she could always light up to banish it. It took energy to do that, though, so wearing a coat was just easier, but on days like today where even a coat wasn't quite enough, being able to generate your own heat was awesome. The sky hummed, causing Shego to look up, and she smiled when she saw it was the hovercraft. It took her a second to realize she was smiling and then she shook her head. She was acting like such a love-struck doofus.

Kim smiled as she carefully set the hovercraft on the ground. She had seen Shego waiting there for her, and she thought it was adorable. The panel beeped, indicating a successful landing, so Kim shut down the controls, unbuckled her safety restraints and walked to the back to disembark. She lowered the gangplank and walked out, only to be enveloped in a pair of very warm arms. "Merry Christmas, Princess," Shego said, kissing her.

"Merry Christmas, Shego," Kim said, kissing back. A low growl and a polite cough alerted them that they were not as alone as they might have thought. "Sorry, Rama," Kim apologized, moving off of the gangplank so that Rama could leave the hovercraft. "I brought a friend," she said.

"So I see," Shego replied, rubbing his head. He started purring and Shego scratched his ears. The polite cough repeated itself. "And I told him he didn't need to come out in the cold, but I believe Chuck is here to help you with your stuff," Shego said, raising an eyebrow at Chuck.

He smiled at Kim, ignoring her. "Very nice to see you again, Miss Kimberly," he said. "Besides the leopard, is there anything else that needs to go back to the house?"

"I do have some stuff that should probably go in," Kim replied, retreating back into the hovercraft. She emerged with two suitcases, dropped those off and then went in for the remaining two packages, both of which were beautifully wrapped.

"And who would those be for?" Shego inquired casually.

"One is for you, and the other is for the both of us from Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila," Kim said.

"They wrapped a gift?" Shego asked.

"And sent me an e-mail to come pick it up," Kim told her.

"Why'd they even bother dying?" Shego muttered. Kim laughed and took her arm and they went back to the house with Chuck, Rama and the luggage cart trailing them.

Lottie was there to greet them as soon as they opened the back door. "It is so good to see you again, Kim!" she said brightly, hugging her as she came in the door.

"You saw her less than a month ago," Shego pointed out.

"So?" Lottie challenged. "Please ignore her and come in," she told Kim. Shego rolled her eyes but said nothing. "Is that a leopard?" Lottie asked as Rama waited impatiently to get out of the cold and into the warm.

"Clouded leopard," Shego answered. "Cold clouded leopard," she clarified hastily as Rama growled at her. Shego got out of the way and Rama came in, shaking himself as he did so.

"Then we should go into the sitting room," Lottie decided. "It is the warmest room in the house."

They all trudged upstairs to the sitting room, and Kim was delighted to see Archie sitting in one of the high-backed chairs. He got up immediately when she saw her, and much like his wife, gave her a hug. "Welcome back, Kim," he said.

"Thanks! It is nice to be back," Kim replied sincerely. Archie released her and she turned around to admire the Christmas tree in the corner, a tree that, Shego was interested to note as she put Kim's packages under it, suddenly had presents under it again, all of which were for her girlfriend. That was interesting, Shego thought. Nina had never gotten anything but cards from Shego's family.

Lottie took over as soon as the hugging was done and Shego had stepped away from the tree. "I think we still have a few presents to open," she said, steering Kim toward a chair. Archie and Shego took their wingbacks, Rama crashed in front of the fire and Lottie fetched the gifts, piling them all up beside Kim. "These are all for me?" Kim asked, a little embarrassed at the largesse and blushing because of it.

"You're right; she does do that a lot," Lottie chuckled. "It's only two presents, Kim."

"But I didn't get you anything," Kim protested.

"Like we need it," Lottie scoffed. "Even our kids are reduced to giving us charitable organizations and stadium naming rights."

Kim paused, thinking about that statement, then realized Lottie had a point. "Well, thank you," she said at last. "You didn't have to, but thank you."

"We know we didn't," Lottie responded. "But we did, so you have to open them up. Start with the small square one."

Kim did as requested, ripping off the paper and opening the box top. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and very gingerly, she pulled out two Cuddle Buddies. The first was a Super Star Panderoo and the second was a Flamingoat. "We weren't sure if you had either of those," Lottie said apologetically, "but they seemed to be pretty rare, so we were hoping we would catch a break and get something you didn't have."

"Um, yeah, they are rare," Kim confirmed, touched at the thoughtfulness and stunned that they would spend that much on her. "And no, I don't have either of them. Thank you. These are really so nice that I don't know what to say."

Lottie beamed; Kim liked them and she was happy. "Now the big green one," she prompted. Kim carefully put her new Cuddle Buddies back in their box and ripped off the paper of the green package. There were three boxes in the big box and Shego could sense what was coming.

"Open the big one first, Princess," she advised. Kim glanced at her and nodded, opening up the big one to find a pair of bright green cargo pants with a utility belt and a black crop-sleeved shirt that had a green and yellow KP logo stitched right above the left breast. Kim's face lit up and she held it aloft looking at it. The uniform was really sleek and professional looking, and it came with the extra-added bonus that if Shego knew which order to open the boxes in, she probably had one too.

"This is spanking!" Kim said ebulliently. Lottie looked at Shego for confirmation.

"That means it's good," Shego told her mother in an aside.

"Ah," Lottie said, relieved. "And, unless there were unforeseen problems, the green should match your new car."

"You got a new car?" Shego asked, surprised. Damn, there went the birthday present.

"My parents got me a green VW bus," Kim answered, also surprised. "Didn't you tell them what color to paint it?"

"No," Shego replied slowly, looking over at her mother and father.

Lottie and Archie smiled. "We may have talked now and then with James and Ann," Archie admitted cheerfully. "It's how we knew about the Cuddle Buddies and how they knew about the uniforms and what color they would be." Kim and Shego looked at one another, their mutual trepidation written all over their faces. They were so done for if their parents were already in cahoots. "What?" Archie said, chuckling at their faces. "You two shouldn't act so shocked. We do know how to use a telephone and the Internet." Kim still looked worried, but after peering in the box she realized she still had two more boxes to go and there were more interestesting things to care about. She opened them and one held black gloves while the other held black boots, and with them her uniform was complete.

"Thank you so much," Kim said, setting everything down and going to hug Archie and Lottie. They hugged her back, and Shego coughed. "What?" Kim asked playfully. "Too much cheer?"

"The sap is so thick in here I am going to need an insulin shot," Shego confirmed. "So, should we open Nana Mim and Nana Sheila's gift?"

"Sure," Kim said, pulling out the right box. She sat next to Shego and they ripped off the paper together, opening the box to expose a map and a journal. The journal was titled "The Search for the Time Monkey" and the ancient map seemed to show the location of a temple in some unknown jungle. Kim and Shego smiled at one another. "It looks like they gave us another mission," Kim said.

"Looks that way," Shego agreed. They chuckled to themselves and replaced the items in the box. "So what's in the other one?" Shego asked pointedly. Kim scooted off the chair arm and retrieved the other package, handing it to her with a smile. Shego opened it, and in the smaller box that was in the larger box rested two identical amulets, one of which had a former life as a dampener and should have been around Kim's neck.

Shego looked at Kim for explanation, and so she gave one. "I really had no idea what to get you," Kim confessed. "But I thought and thought about it, and after a while it occurred to me that one of the best things I could give you had already been given to you by two people very dear to you and I had the power to give it back. I knew that you had given it to me, though, so I thought you might find it rude if I gave it back. So I had an indestructible replica made. But after the replica was made, I started thinking that it was presumptuous of me to assume that you wouldn't want the original and that you might be insulted if I gave you a replica. So I decided the best thing was to offer you both and let you take your pick."

Shego smirked. She set the box down on the chair arm that Kimmie wasn't sitting on before taking Kim's face gently between her hands. "Thank you. You think way too much, but thank you," she said affectionately, kissing her softly on the lips. "Which one is the original?" she asked when they broke apart.

"That one," Kim said, pointing to the amulet that was on the chain rather than the one on the black cord.

Shego picked it up, unclasped it and with no hesitation, put it back around Kim's neck. "I gave this one to you, and I don't like my gifts returned," she said sternly, even though she was smiling. "Besides, it protects you from me."

"But I don't need to be protect…" Kim started, but Shego interrupted her.

"Shit happens, Pumpkin," Shego said simply. "And being the lazy bum I am, I'd rather not have to worry about watching myself around you and I won't have to if you are wearing that thing. Besides," and here she paused, unsure if she actually wanted to admit this, "when I gave it to you, I kept my promise to Nana Mim, and I don't like to go back on my promises."

Kim knew what that promise had been, and so she accepted Shego's declaration for what it was and made a promise of her own. "I love you, too, and as long as we're together, I'll never take it off," she promised.

"Good," Shego agreed. "Now what happened to mine?" Kim picked up the other one up by its black cord. "I assume this is non-flammable?" Shego asked, pointing at the cord.

"Yup," Kim confirmed, sensing it was all getting a little heavy for Shego and she wanted a subject change.

"Good," Shego commented, putting it on. "Now we get to go fetch your present from me."

"Where is it?" Kim asked.

"Outside," Shego replied. "So grab your coat, Pink." She glanced at her parents. "Mom already knows what it is and used it to blackmail me into coming for Christmas, but would you two like to come?" she asked.

"Love to," Archie responded. Shego nodded and grabbed Kim's hand, pulling gently to lead her out of the sitting room. Lottie and Archie followed. "Did I hear an "I love you'?" he furtively asked his wife.

"That's what I heard," Lottie replied quietly.

Archie smiled. It always made him happy tos see his kids happy, even if she tended towards cranky and smart mouthed. "So did you really blackmail her into coming back for Christmas?" he asked.

"I did," Lottie said proudly.

"Well done, hon," Archie congratulated her. Lottie smirked.

After they had grabbed their coats, Shego led Kim to the hangar where her present was being stored. She made Kim close her eyes and then brought her inside. "Okay, open them," Shego said.

"You got me a jet!" Kim said excitedly. "And it's got the logo on it!" Shego grinned. She knew that Kim would know the difference between a plane and a jet.

"There's a custom flight suit for you when you get jet-certified," Shego added.

"It rocks, thank you, Shego!" Kim said, hugging her.

"Eh, I liked your gift to me better," Shego said honestly. "Now mine seems kinda lame."

"It's gorgeous," Kim disagreed. "Take me for a spin?"

"Not in this weather," Lottie said flatly. "It's not safe."

"Mom's a certified pilot," Shego whispered to Kim, "And she is really picky about flight safety."

"Damn right I am," Lottie said, having overheard. "And there will be no flying today. You two will have to do something else like play football with the boys."

"Football?" Kim asked interestedly.

"You're a cheerleader; you're not supposed to like football," Shego objected.

"Are you kidding?" Kim retorted. "Do you know how many games I've had to _watch_? I've always wanted to play." Shego sighed, but Kim was already dragging her off to find her brothers.

After they found them, which really wasn't all that hard, they decided on flag football and decided on Shego and Hego as team captains. Each team got a Wego, which allowed them to play eleven-man football with only three players and Shego picked Willie for her Wego, although it really didn't matter. She also laid claim to Kim, sticking Hego with Mego, a choice that proved wise when Hego's first pass sailed right through Mego's fingers.

"So tell us again why Mom and Dad adopted you, Reg?" Shego taunted.

"I'm not adopted, Mimi," Mego said crossly. It was a familiar taunt; Hego and the Wegoes looked a great deal like Lottie and Shego was the female version of Archie, but Mego didn't really look like either of them, so they always teased him about being adopted.

Shego's team got the ball eventually, and Kim proved adept at being either a wide receiver or a running back by being able to flip over the heads of the defensive line or the safety/linebacker. Being able to negate the opposition's superpowers also helped, as Kim found out when she stiff armed a Wego only to have him disappear when the amulet absorbed the copying power that allowed him to exist. She had to try it out on the other two, and sure enough, when she touched them, Mego would grow back to full size and Hego's strength would wane. This advantage, along with their superior athleticism, allowed Shego, Kim and Willie to run up the score at will, so after a couple of hours of chasing them all around the field, Bertie, Reggie and Augie quit.

"Quitters!" Shego taunted as they walked off the field. They ignored her and trudged off toward the house. Willie gave them both a high-five and then ran off to join his twin.

"That was fun," Kim said, wrapping Shego's arms around her to get warm now that her game heat had dissipated. "Maybe we can do it again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Shego whined. "I thought now that you were here, I got to go home."

"But we still have a week of vacation," Kim reminded her. Shego grimaced. Kim smiled. "Well, if you want to get out of here, you could take me to Mexico for the new year," she offered.

"You want to go to the beach house?" Shego asked, liking this suggestion.

"Yeah, I do," Kim admitted. "That's why I brought two suitcases. One has beach stuff in it."

"So you were planning on it," Shego teased.

"No, I was _hoping_ for it," Kim corrected. "And besides, I figured you might be going a little stir crazy having spent this much time with your family and Mexico seemed like a good idea."

"It is an awesome idea," Shego said enthusiastically. "Can we go tonight?" she asked plaintively. Kim laughed.

They ended up going the next morning, and neither Lottie nor Archie seemed surprised that Shego was leaving. Kim and Shego promised to pick up the jet before they went back to Middleton, and after saying goodbye to everyone, they and Rama took off in the hovercraft.


	6. Happy New Year

A/N: As you might be able to tell from the chapter title, this was supposed to be out a little earlier. But life in the form of sickness decided to intervene. So, a belated happy new year to everyone under the Gregorian calendar.

Chapter 6 – Happy New Year

Shego checked the controls and chomped on her gum, the epitome of a bad-ass villain wending her way towards some new sort of mischievous evil. It was really ironic, then, that the image she was projecting was pretty much the polar opposite of what she was feeling. It wasn't until they had gotten in the air and they were well on their way to Mexico that Shego finally figured out what the hell it all meant. She and Kimmie were on their way to the beach house, which, of course was the isolated, picturesque cabin that had only one bed and some the most beautiful and romantic scenery to be found in all of Mexico, and they would be all alone at this afore-mentioned cabin for seven days. So, while she looked like the tough ready to take on the world, she was scared out of her wits and on the verge of completely freaking out.

Why the prospect of having sex with Kimmie freaked her out so much, she wasn't quite sure. She had been attracted to Kimmie from the first moment she had seen her, which was way back when there were hungry sharks circling around her and Ron. And, and the years passed, the attraction hadn't faded but had actually intensified, spurred by impromptu wrestling matches and the occasional glance of Kimmie in her underwear. So, now, her not wanting to touch something she had wanted to touch for so long was just so fucking stupid and neurotic that she was ashamed and pissed off at herself.

What was the fucking problem already, she berated herself. Was it because it was being offered and no longer had to be stolen? She had always liked stealing things, and once upon a time had half a thought of spiriting Kim away for an unplanned (by Kim at any rate) weekend exploring the undercurrent of whatever it was that always seemed to make their conversations and wrestling interactions linger past what they should between hero and super villain. But she and Kim had become friends, and a kidnapping attempt was no longer necessary. Was that what was bugging her?

No, she decided. What was bugging her was that she was deeply in love with Kim, much more so than she had been with Nina, and if sex had screwed up that relationship then she didn't want it to do the same to this one. Shego paused in her silent ranting, shocked that her fear had crystallized itself so succinctly. She wasn't really in love, was she? She thought about it, and decided, yeah, she was, and she would be really stupid to try to convince herself otherwise. She hadn't lied to Kim yesterday; she _had_ kept her promise to Nana Mim to give the amulet to someone she loved very much, and so she might as well get over herself and start admitting that to herself as well as vaguely admitting it to Kim. So now she knew what she was afraid of. Did it make her any less afraid? Well, not really, but fuck it. Fear could kiss her ass.

Kim glanced over at Shego, surprised that she seemed okay with everything that was going on. Shego had quite obviously been studiously avoiding intimacy issues since they had become a couple, and it was only through serendipity that they had even ended up in the few compromising positions that they had found themselves in. Kim had no plans to run into the cabin, strip and offer herself up on the altar of love, but the plain truth was that they were going to be all alone for a week in close quarters and intimate situations, and Kim thought that Shego might be freaked out by this prospect. Everything seemed cool, so as they got closer, Kim started to relax.

They landed in Mexico in the afternoon, and the first thing Shego did was to let Rama loose in the trees surrounding the cabin. "We have to leave on Friday," she told him. "Have fun 'til then, old timer." Rama gave her an affectionate head-butt and then disappeared into the trees, intent on enjoying his first taste of freedom in quite a while. "And no pouncing on us when we are relaxing on the beach!" Shego called after him, knowing how his devious feline mind worked. Rama growled back a non-committal response from wherever he had disappeared to.

Kim chuckled as Shego rolled her eyes and retrieved their luggage from the hovercraft. Shego almost hesitated as she walked into the living room, but having made up her mind on the flight here, she took both suitcases into the empty bedroom and set them down. Kim noticed this but didn't comment, instead flopping herself down on the couch. She leaned back on the pillows and closed her eyes in contentment, almost falling asleep as moments passed with little sound and no activity. Then, her bathing suit flew across the room and whapped her in the face, causing her eyes to pop open and take in the sight of Shego already clad in her green one-piece. "We didn't come to Mexico to sit inside," Shego said, with a smirk. "So get your suit on and meet me on the beach, Princess."

"Yes, ma'am," Kim said, saluting mockingly and heading into the bedroom. Shego was tempted to join her, but decided on the beach instead. That would be forcing the issue and Shego wasn't quite ready for that. She headed out the back door and on to the beach, spreading her blanket out before crashing on top of it. She waited a few minutes for Kim's arrival and, in time, a thump indicated that Kim had joined her. She opened her eyes to find Kim slathering sunscreen all over her fair skin. "I am not as lucky as you," she said, making sure she got every area of skin she could reach.

"Then you should do a better job of applying your sun block," Shego said, playfully snatching the bottle away from her and holding it out of Kim's reach. "You missed a spot, Princess," she said, squeezing some of the lotion out of the bottle and into her hand. She then began to massage Kim's shoulders and neck, thoroughly covering the spots Kim had missed. Wow, that felt nice, Kim admitted, leaning back into the touch. Shego wanted very badly to kiss all of the spots that she was currently applying sunscreen to, but seeing as she _was_ applying sunscreen, Kim's skin would taste like sunscreen and that would just be nasty. There was one foolproof way of washing it off, though, and it was but a few steps in front of her. In one quick motion, she threw away the sunscreen bottle, scooped Kim off the blanket and ran into the surf, making sure to thoroughly dunk Kim as she did so.

Kim came up for air, her anger apparent in her flashing green eyes. "You are so dead, Junior," she said with a scowl.

So, dunking Kim had been a bad idea, apparently, and it had gotten her into trouble, but Shego stood there for a second, torn between running for her life or staring at Kimmie all soaked and gorgeously sexy. Self-preservation won out over lust, albeit by the slimmest of margins, and she flipped over Kim's head as Kim came lunging toward her. Shego looked around, hurriedly intent on running back to the cabin, ducking in the surf or anything else she could do to escape a pissed-off girlfriend. Kim knew her too well, though, and anticipated her move, sending them both crashing into the water with her anger-fueled, bone-crushing tackle.

"Oof!" Shego wheezed as her back hit the compacted wet sand and Kim pounced on top of her.

"What in the world were you thinking?" Kim demanded, holding her down.

Shego looked up and smirked, not really all that apologetic seeing as she now had the exquisitely drenched Kimmie sitting on her chest giving her a most interesting view. "I was trying to wash off the sunscreen," she answered honestly. "It was getting in the way of my intentions."

"Which were?" Kim prompted.

"To kiss everything my hands were touching," Shego purred.

"Oh," Kim answered, blushing as her anger faded. "Well, the sun block is probably off now," Kim observed. "Is this the part where you ravish me as the waves crash over our heads?"

"Eh, that's a little too _From Here to Eternity_ for me," Shego said, picking up that the gentle teasing was Kim's way of diffusing the situation of both its potential embarrassment and of its seriousness. "I think I am going to go back to the blanket and dry off."

"Spoilsport," Kim harrumphed as she rolled off of Shego. "I think I am going to swim some more. I'll join you in a while."

"Take your time, Princess," Shego replied. "We're here all week." Kim smiled and dove into the surf, using her powerful arms and legs to take her out to deeper water. Shego watched her briefly, marveling at how quick she was before retreating to the blanket and stretching out. She hadn't planned on it, but she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, Kimmie was sitting beside her, no longer in her swimsuit, but in a flowered sundress with her freshly-washed hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. "How long was I out?" she asked sleepily.

"A couple of hours," Kim replied. "But you looked really comfortable, so I didn't want to disturb you."

"Huh," Shego said. "I didn't think I was that tired." She stretched out and sat up, yawning as she did so, and Kim expected her to start purring she looked so much like a cat. "Well," Shego said, springing lightly to her feet, "if I slept that long and you look like that, it's probably time for dinner," she decided. "So, I guess had better go in the house and get ready." Kim vacated the blanket and Shego gathered it up. Shego held out her hand and Kim took hold of it, only letting go when Shego needed both hands to shake the blanket out on the back porch. "I'm going to go shower and change, Pumpkin; I'll be right out," Shego said, entering the back door and throwing the blanket on a nearby chair.

"I'll be here," Kim called back, settling into one of the wicker chairs. She didn't have long to wait, because apparently Shego took the world's fastest shower and she was out in about fifteen minutes, dressed in black capris and a green tank top. Kim hopped up from her seat. "So, where are you taking me for dinner, Junior?" she asked, as Shego grabbed her hand and they made their way from the porch to the road leading to town.

"The best place in town," Shego replied with a smile. "Okay, it's really the _only_ place in town, but it is really good."

"If it serves food, it sounds wonderful," Kim said, the afternoon swim and the lack of lunch making her ravenous.

"If you were hungry, you should have said something," Shego admonished. "I'm planning on having myriad opportunities to sleep; I would have gotten up."

"I know, but you were just so peaceful out there on the beach," Kim protested. She also gave Shego a look, and if it had been coming from anyone other than Kimmie, Shego would have sworn it was communicating something along the lines of "And you aren't going to get nearly as much sleep as you think you are and you will be sleeping naked." Kimmie was too young and too innocent to have such thoughts. Or at least that is what Shego told herself.

The owner spotted them the instant they came into the restaurant, and hurried over to welcome them. "Buenas noches," he said, smiling and escorting them to their table.

Kim hoped Shego knew some Spanish because hers was middling at best. To her surprise, though, Shego answered him in English. "How have you been, Sergio?" she asked warmly, and the man chuckled.

"Eh, only fair but I can't complain," Sergio responded with a smile, his English barely accented. "You haven't been around to see us lately," he observed. "How have _you_ been?" he asked, looking pointedly at Kim.

"Sergio, meet Kim Possible; Kim, Sergio," Shego said, dispatching the introductions.

"Very nice to meet you," Sergio said, smiling.

"You too," Kim replied.

"So, what can I do for _la reina verde_ and her charming companion?" he asked.

"Whatever you have in the pot is perfect," Shego replied, knowing the special of the day was always the best.

"Anything to drink?" he offered.

"_E__scamocha__s_," Shego answered.

Sergio nodded. "Excellent. I'll be back shortly, ladies," he said.

"Thanks, Sergio," Shego said.

"_E__scamocha__s_?" Kim asked as he retreated into the kitchen.

"Fruity-type drink," Shego explained. "Sometimes like a shake, sometimes more like a punch, depends on where you get it. One of the few non-alcoholic things they have on the menu."

"Ah," Kim answered. "How long have you been coming here? Sergio seems to know you fairly well."

"Before I built the house, which was like 5 years ago," Shego said. "So, yeah, it's been a while."

"Six years in June," Sergio clarified as he set down 2 bowls of a deliciously spicy-smelling seafood stew in front of them. He smiled at Shego as she rolled her eyes at him and went to retrieve their drinks. He set them down in front of the bowls. "Enjoy," he said cordially and returned to the kitchen.

The food was wonderful and Kim and Shego chatted lightly about non-consequential topics as the level of both food in their bowls and drink in their glasses diminished. Sergio unobtrusively refilled both, and being hungrier than they realized, they consumed the second helping while whiling away the minutes still chatting about nothing of import. It was only after night started to fall that they realized how long it had been. They finished up their food, paid the indulgently waiting Sergio and headed back to the beach house. They didn't say much as they walked back; both of them were thinking of what was most likely going to transpire for the rest of the evening and whether they actually wanted it to. They were both so caught up in their thoughts that they didn't notice that they were being followed.

Their stalker surveyed them from the trees, silent and deadly. They were coming into position nicely, and soon he would be able to make his strike. He crouched in the tree, waiting for his chance and when they were right below him, he pounced. Shego heard a low growl and her head jerked upward as a large body came rushing toward her. She fell on the ground, lifted up her arms to block and used her feet to catapult her attacker over her head and into the bushes. He landed with a thud, and it was a couple of seconds before he gathered himself and emerged from those bushes.

Shego laughed as he came out. "It was a good try, Fuzzball," she complimented Rama as he gingerly came out of the bush. She rubbed his head while he pouted. He rubbed up against her and then turned toward the trees. "Have a good night," she called after him.

"Goodnight, Rama," Kim added. As if only just realizing she was there, Rama bounded over to her and gave her a goodnight rub before heading off into the jungle. Kim smiled fondly before grabbing Shego's hand and walking back down toward the house.

They got to the front door and both of them stood there awkwardly for several long moments not knowing what to say. Finally it was Shego who spoke, and Kim didn't really like what she had to say. "Um, I can sleep in the lookout if that would be more comfortable," she mumbled.

"I don't want you to sleep in the lookout," Kim replied honestly, even though it caused her to blush. She put a hand up to Shego's cheek. "Why don't you want to be with me, Shego?" she asked plaintively. "Is it me? What have I been doing wrong?"

Shego leaned into the gentle touch on her cheek. "You haven't done anything wrong; I am completely and utterly into you," she said softly.

"Then why aren't you attracted to me?" Kim replied, just as softly.

"Not attracted to you? I spent two years making up excuses to get you to roll on the floor with me. What in the hell gave you the idea that I am not attracted to you?" Shego asked, playing dumb.

"The fact that you have been and are avoiding being alone with me," Kim retorted.

Shego sighed and took Kim's face in her hands. "I want to be alone with you more than anything in this world, Princess," she confessed. "I want to touch you and kiss you and give you every part of myself that is worth having. But I got burned the last time I did that." Kim looked like she wanted to say something, but Shego continued before she could interrupt. "You mean more to me than Nina could have ever dreamed of, and I am actually grateful that she broke up with me because it put me on the path to you. I guess I am just freaked out because I don't think I could handle it if you left, because, um, I love you."

Kim raised an eyebrow then smiled. "You know, for being such a badass, you are kind of a scaredy-cat," she teased, using her own hands to cup those on her cheeks. Her gently admonishing smile calmed Shego down, and she grinned self-effacingly instead of taking offense.

"Yeah, I can be," she admitted wryly.

"Then I guess it is a good thing that I love you too, so you don't have anything to be scared of," Kim stated.

She'd said it before, but this time Kim's proclamation of love actually made it past all of Shego's neuroses and Shego allowed herself to believe what Kim was saying. This breakthrough caused Shego's wits to desert her, leaving her unable to put together any form of coherent sentence. Deciding speech was overrated anyhow, Shego let her actions do the speaking for her, and she kissed Kim with all of the passion and desire that she had been holding back for a while now.

Kim melted into her, her hands moving from Shego's hands to Shego's waist, drawing them closer together. The kiss deepened and they both realized they should probably get off of the porch. Shego's right hand left Kim's cheek reluctantly, and it fumbled for the door handle. The door creaked open and Kim stumbled backwards as the support she was leaning on slid backwards. She grabbed onto Shego's tank top to prevent herself from falling, which in turn caused Shego to lurch forward. Not wanting to fall on the living room floor, Shego corrected her balance by repositioning what was making her lean forward and Kim found herself swept up into Shego's arms, her feet dangling in midair.

"Wow, she's strong," was Kim's idle thought as Shego carried her from the living room into the bedroom, their lips still entwined. Their kiss had been continuous from the porch to the bedroom, only concluding when Shego gently laid Kim down on the bed. They locked eyes for a second, Shego asking again for permission already given and Kim giving it yet again. Their clothes landed in a heap on the bedroom floor within mere moments, and Shego allowed herself a moment to savor the sights before recapturing Kim's lips.

Her caresses were gentle, reverent; Kim was a gift Shego still wasn't quite sure she deserved, and she was going to treat such a gift with the utmost respect. Kim's skin was soft and smooth, and her body was unbelievably responsive to Shego's skillful touch, whether it was in some place relatively benign or some place more intimate. Shego used this responsiveness to her advantage, and it was not long before Kim was lying breathless on the bed, thoroughly spent and ready for sleep.

Or so Shego thought until Kim gave her a wicked, salacious look and Shego found herself flipped over onto her back. Kim grinned smugly and bent down to kiss Shego, her thighs straddling Shego's waist. Kim then set her hands free to explore, and they eagerly explored every inch of Shego from her inky green hair to the soles of her feet. Kim's mouth followed her fingers and when she was finished, there was very little of Shego that Kim hadn't touched, tasted and coaxed into ecstasy. Proud of her accomplishments and now thoroughly exhausted, Kim crawled up the length of Shego's body, kissed her and promptly fell asleep on her chest.

"Um, wow," Shego thought as Kim slept peacefully using Shego's breasts as pillows. She hadn't expected that Kim would be as skillful as she was and her whole body was still trying to come down off of its high. She wanted to burn off her excess energy, but Kim had already adorably fallen asleep where she was, which was right on top of her, and there was no way Shego was going to disturb her. She moved some of the disheveled red locks out of the way and kissed Kim on the forehead, drawing up the slightly singed sheet around them both. Shego looked at the sheet and cracked a grin; she had heard about setting the bed on fire but this was ridiculous. In a reaction she had never experienced before, Shego's hands had lit up of their own volition depending on what interesting place Kim's explorations had taken her. It hadn't been that big of a problem because most of the time Shego's hands had been on Kim and the amulet had taken care of the energy, but there were a couple of times that her hands had gotten too close to the sheet and had caused it to smolder. Oh, well, she would just have to get black sheets instead of green ones, Shego decided, wrapping her arms around Kim and settling down for sleep.

Morning crept into the bedroom and Kim watched the sunlight begin to peek through the shade with a smile on her face, being careful not to move and disturb the woman she was wrapped around. Shego was sound asleep and Kim had no desire to disturb her. Her thoughts wandered as she lay there, and her smile grew wider as she reflected on how a year ago Shego would have been the last person she would have ever thought to be her first. Josh, Eric and Ron had all been possibilities at one time or another but never Shego, even though Shego was the one she was actually attracted to. "Thanks," she whispered to Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila, wherever they were.

Shego stirred beside her. "Talking to yourself again, Pink?" she mumbled, snuggling back into Kim.

"Kinda," Kim admitted. "But it is early yet; you can go back to sleep if you want to."

Shego yawned and turned over so she was facing Kim. "I'd much rather enjoy the scenery," she said, moving closer, grabbing Kim and turning them both so that Kim was now on top of her. "Especially since I am going to jail as soon as we get back to Middleton," she joked, kissing Kim.

Kim kissed her back, not alarmed at Shego's proclamation due to Shego's relaxed posture. "And why might you be going to jail?" Kim inquired.

"My pardon from GJ was contingent on my not committing any more crime," Shego reminded her. "At the very least, I am now guilty of statutory rape, and since I am more than three years older, it is a felony. Add in the fact I transported a minor across international borders to commit said crime, and I am in the slammer until you are eligible for Social Security."

Kim chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Shego. "Another justification for refusing to be alone with me?" she guessed.

"Pretty much," Shego admitted, with a smile. "But then you had to go and seduce me and I forgot all about it."

"I'm glad. Legalese would have totally killed the mood," Kim teased. "Besides, I am an emancipated minor, so I don't even know if that argument would hold water." Shego looked at her, surprised, but Kim shrugged. "I can't do what I do without putting my parents at risk for a child endangerment rap, so I sued for emancipation a couple of years ago."

"And yet you have a curfew?" Shego asked.

"They're still my parents, Shego," Kim said. "Being legally an adult doesn't change that."

"Hm," Shego commented. "If you are an adult, shouldn't you have gotten your inheritance?" she abruptly asked, the thought suddenly occurring to her.

"I asked Bob about that," Kim answered. "Apparently Aunt Mim specified that I couldn't get it until I was eighteen, regardless of legal status."

"Figures _she_ would think about that," Shego chuckled.

"Yeah, it does," Kim agreed. She peered down at the woman she was still perched on top of. "So can we talk about something else more interesting?"

"Like?" Shego prompted, noting the interesting look on Kim's face.

"Breakfast?" Kim asked hopefully.

Shego's brow contracted. That was so not the topic she had been anticipating, nor really the one that she wanted to change the subject to. She smirked and fluidly changed their positions so that Kim was beneath her. "Nah, I have a better idea, Princess," she said, leaning down to kiss Kim.

The rest of their stay at the beach house followed the same relaxing pattern as their first couple of days did. They would wake in the morning, lie in bed for a while and talk until one of them had a better idea, and two hours later or so, they would finally get out of bed, grab a shower and head to town to look for food. They spent the afternoons on the beach, either swimming or sunbathing, and the evenings were spent in town at Sergio's, with Rama saying goodnight to them by trying to pounce on them sometime during their walk back to the cabin. There wasn't even a pretense of clothes after they got inside, and the next few hours were spent exploring every nuance of each other before they dropped off to sleep. This pattern made the time pass quickly, too quickly, and Friday came way too quickly for anybody's liking.

"Rama, you damn stubborn leopard! We gotta go!" Shego bellowed into the foliage around the cabin.

"Can't we just leave him here?" Kim asked, coming up beside her. "I am sure being in captivity all of the time really sucks for him."

"We could, but there isn't enough food around here to support his eating habits," Shego replied. "He would probably wander into town eventually and he could get shot for his troubles."

"Hm. That's not good," Kim agreed. "Rama, sweetie, you out there?" she called. The bushes rustled and Rama begrudgingly showed himself.

"Pfft. Figures. I've been calling that stupid leopard for half an hour," Shego grumbled under her breath. "You know have to come home with us," she told her grumpy clouded leopard. Rama shook his head "no" emphatically. "Look, I know the Refuge isn't the best, but does it suck that badly?" Shego asked. Rama shook his head "yes". Shego sighed. "Well, what about Anna, Rama? If you stay here, you won't be able to see her," she pointed out.

Rama looked pained at that, and Kim's heart went out to him. "Don't be mean, Shego," she scolded.

"I'm not, Pumpkin; I am just stating facts," Shego protested.

"Well, those facts suck. You should never have to choose between your freedom and your family," Kim stated flatly. She went over to Rama and crouched down. "Come on home with us, Rama," she said scratching his ears. "You can live with me until we get the Mansion leopard-proofed enough to let both you and Anna live there." Rama's ears perked up in a gesture of "Really?" and Kim nodded. "I promise," she assured him. "But my house it a little smaller than the Mansion and you have to keep on my mom's good side." Rama nodded and happily bounded into the hovercraft.

"Until we get the Mansion leopard-proofed enough to let both you and Anna to live there?" Shego echoed archly.

"Well, I figure Anna should be out of her climb-the-drapes, destroy-the-house kitten stage in about nine months or so and then we can bail her out of the refuge, at which point Rama can move in too," Kim explained cheerfully.

"Ah, I see; it is all planned out. In nine months time I get a houseful of clouded leopards to deal with all by myself. Thanks ever so much, Pink," Shego retorted.

Kim smiled charmingly. "If everything goes to my plan, Junior, you won't be all by yourself," she replied sweetly and bounded up the gangplank after Rama, leaving Shego to stare befuddled after her.

"One week and she is moving in and bringing the cats with her," Shego said bemusedly, shaking her head as she followed her into the hovercraft. She was interested to note, however, that she wasn't all that dismayed with the thought Kim could be moving in.

Shego raised the gangplank and with a twinge of sadness for all three of them, they left Mexico and the beach house. The flight to Chicago was uneventful, and they landed on the airstrip early Friday evening. Shego wanted to grab the jet and go, but Kim convinced her to stay the night. They spent the evening with Shego's family, and when the others had gone to bed and Kim was out taking the leopard for a walk, Lottie blindsided Shego.

"So, did you propose?" she asked.

"Mom, she's seventeen," Shego objected.

"And?" Lottie asked, completely unconcerned. "I got married at nineteen."

"That was you," Shego responded. "Besides, we've only been dating for a few months; it's way too early for that kind of talk."

"I'll bet you five dollars that if you don't propose before the year is out, she will," Lottie countered.

"Deal," Shego agreed, thinking her mother was off her rocker. Kim came back into the room and by common consent, the matter was hastily dropped before Shego and Kim retired to Shego's room.

They all said their final goodbyes on the airstrip the following morning, and Lottie handed Kim another big box much like the one she and Shego had already opened. "This uniform is for Ron," she explained.

Kim put the box in the hovercraft and came back to give Lottie a hug. "Thank you so much for everything," she said, squeezing Lottie tight.

"We have a lot more to thank you for," Lottie said affectionately. Kim blushed and smiled shyly before hugging Archie and all of Shego's brothers. She waved one last goodbye before retreating into the hovercraft and taking off for home.

Shego stood by the jet and watched her go, knowing that the family would wander over her way now. Hego made it first and gathered her up in a bone-bruising hug. "Bye, Sis," he said warmly.

"Bye, Bertie," she said, with reluctant affection.

"Bye, Mimi," the Wegoes chimed in after he had let her go.

"I enjoyed seeing you, Mimi," Mego added.

"Bye, guys," she answered. Now came the part she dreaded; Mom and Daddy were coming over. "I'll be back; I promise," she said quickly before someone started crying or she started getting teased.

"You'd better be," Lottie said sternly, hugging her. "Besides, Kim gave us your cell phone number, so we can call."

Okay, so the Princess was going to pay for that one. "Bye, Daddy," she said, hugging him.

"Bye, Mimi; Thanks for coming back," he replied.

"Thanks for having me," she said sincerely. She waved goodbye to all of them and then took off as her family watched her go.

"Say, Reg," Hego asked Mego as they watched it disappear into the horizon. "Does that look at all like the Team Go jet to you?"

Middleton – Later that afternoon

Shego circled around the jet one more time, making sure everything was properly stowed. It all looked good, so she peeled out of her flight suit and hung it in the storage locker in the hangar. The door to the hangar opened as she closed the door to the locker and she looked around, surprised. Kim had made good time.

"Hey Princess," she said as Kim extended the gangplank.

"Hey Sweetie," Kim answered, handing her Ron's package as she went back in to hovercraft for more luggage. She came out with a couple of suitcases and led Shego outside to where her new car was parked.

"Nice shade of green," Shego said with admiration.

"Yeah, see, that is why I thought you had given my parents advice on the color," Kim answered, amused.

Shego shuddered. "My folks and your folks, talking. That's almost creepy," she said.

"I think it's sweet," Kim said as she popped the back and put the suitcases in.

"You would," Shego replied, as she put Ron's package in the back beside the cases. It only took a couple more trips to get the rest of it, and after they had loaded the car, Kim and Rama took Shego home.

Shego smiled as they pulled up to the Mansion. "Come in for a while?" she asked disarmingly.

Kim chuckled. "I shouldn't, but okay," she acquiesced. Shego broke out into a grin and hopped out of the van, only to be stopped by a large gun aimed directly at her. She put up her hands in surrender, completely caught off guard.

The Lieutenant smirked. "Sheila Goshen, aka Shego," she pronounced. "You are under arrest for assault, battery, and attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent. If you should give up this right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

She was alone now. She could feel her isolation only in that she could feel nothing, which meant that she had been forever separated from the one she could not exist without. Slowly, reluctantly, she opened her eyes. The scenery was familiar, but it was all wrong, all horribly wrong. Where there should be light, warmth and shelter, there was only darkness, chill and devastation. She at last understood: this place, once home to all she loved and thus most beloved of all places on Earth, was now to be her prison, a cruel mockery of what she had lost. She wept, but there was no one to hear. She was alone now…so very…alone.


	7. Outlaw Blues

A/N: This chapter should clear up some of the confusion over just what the hell was going on in the last chapter. :) I hope everyone likes it.

Chapter 7 – Outlaw Blues

Shego looked in amused annoyance at the gun aimed at her chest, her eyebrows rising to match her hands after she heard the Lieutenant declare that assault, battery and attempted murder were the charges being brought against her. She said nothing as the Lieutenant continued to mirandize her, but her hands dropped to her sides as her mind attempted to figure out who in the hell she was supposed to have assaulted. Hard as she tried, she really couldn't think of anyone that shouldn't have been covered by her pardon from GJ and instead of being affronted, she was really just more confused.

"…You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, one will be provided for you," the Lieutenant continued. Shego rolled her eyes; she knew it was a part of the spiel, but everyone knew she could afford an attorney. "Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" the Lieutenant concluded.

"Yeah," Shego confirmed. "But it doesn't mean I understand what the hell is going on." She and the Lieutenant glared at one another, and the Lieutenant's grip on her gun got tighter as Shego's fists came up into the air. Before either one could act, though, a thump was heard from inside the van and it distracted them both.

Kim grimaced, disgruntled that she had given her element of surprise away. She had heard Shego stop suddenly as Shego had gotten out the van and had then heard the Lieutenant speak, which was a big clue as to what was going on. She had no idea what Shego was being arrested for; she had done her homework before she had left for Chicago and she was fairly certain that in their home state she was above the age of consent and Shego could not be charged with a crime. Seeing as Shego had done nothing else arrest-worthy that she knew of, Kim was both puzzled and angry that the Lieutenant was bothering them once again.

"Open the van," the Lieutenant ordered one of her officers, training her gun on the side door behind Shego. "And get the suspect out of the way."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, grabbing Shego's arm. Shego shook him off and stepped out of the way under her own power.

"Get your hands off of me," she barked. "And I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned the Lieutenant, knowing full well Kimmie had made the thump, and knowing if Kimmie had heard what was going on, she was probably pissed. And if he was awake, Rama would be pissed off just because Kim was.

"And why not?" the Lieutenant asked. "Something you are trying to hide?"

"Nope," Shego replied truthfully. "But there is probably a pissed-off redhead and a pissed-off leopard on the other side."

The Lieutenant laughed unpleasantly. "Like I care," she scoffed. "Open it," she ordered her officer. He did as he was told and slid the door open to reveal a glowering Kim and a growling Rama with his teeth bared. Most of the officers took a step back involuntarily; there was a menace flowing from the teenager and the cat that none of them really wanted to mess with.

"Told ya," Shego muttered.

Rama crouched, ready to take out the person he had determined was the biggest threat to his mistress. His other, newer mistress forestalled him, though. "Don't, Rama," Kim ordered quietly. "You'll get yourself shot." He snorted in disgust, but relaxed his stance and sat down. Kim hopped out of her van and stood by her girlfriend, her arms crossed. "What exactly is going on here?" she asked Shego, blatantly ignoring the Lieutenant.

"I'm being arrested," Shego confirmed. "Nice show of badassery by the way; I almost wanted to take a step back myself," she teased with a wink.

Kim smirked, but blushed at the same time. "Thanks," she said, her cheeks coloring. "You seem to bring out that side of me."

"I'm not complaining, Princess," Shego insisted. "I think it is adorable."

"How can badassery be adorable?" Kim countered.

"When the badass is the girl you're in love with and her anger is not directed toward you," Shego explained.

"Oh," Kim said, and the blush grew deeper. "So what exactly are you being arrested for?" she asked hurriedly, wanting to change the subject.

Shego shrugged. "Assault, battery, and attempted murder, apparently," she replied.

"Of whom? And when?" Kim demanded. "All of your outstanding warrants have been cancelled."

"Dunno, Pumpkin," Shego answered. "So, Lieutenant, who _did_ I assault, batter and attempt to murder?" she asked sarcastically. "And when might this transgression have occurred?"

"A criminal complaint was filed on Friday, January 2nd by a Miss Nina Johnson in association with an alleged attack that occurred at this address at approximately 11:30PM on the night of December 31st," the Lieutenant answered. Kim and Shego looked at one another. So the victim was Nina, the jilted and scheming former girlfriend. That was one mystery solved, at any rate. Or so they thought until the Lieutenant kept talking. "A 911 call was placed from this address on the 31st and when police and emergency vehicles responded, they found Ms. Johnson unconscious on the floor. After remaining in a coma for two days, she came to and described her attacker, the description of whom could only be one person," the Lieutenant said triumphantly, giving a more descriptive recitation of events than she usually did to show Kim and Shego that the charges had merit.

Kim frowned. The evidence against Shego did sound pretty damning, but she knew for a fact that Shego had not been in Middleton at 11:30PM on Wednesday. "We were in Mexico on Wednesday, Lieutenant," Kim said firmly. "There is no way that Shego could have been here."

"Tell it to the judge, Miss Possible," the Lieutenant said curtly. "I don't know what privileges you think your reputation as teen hero affords you, but they don't include giving a two-bit, incorrigible criminal a free pass just because you two are apparently screwing one another."

Kim looked shocked, like no one had ever spoken to her like that, and, Shego realized, no one probably ever had. Kimmie'd always either been the good girl, getting into trouble only when the good of mankind, or Ron, or a puppy, or whatever, was at stake, or, she'd been the scamp, doing what she damn well pleased and then charming her way out of it with that damn pout of hers. To have someone that wasn't a megalomaniac out to take over the world or Bonnie who actually disapproved of her was probably a new experience. But, Kim as was her wont, adapted to this unfamiliar situation with ease, and Shego couldn't hold back her grin as a retort came swiftly towards the Lieutenant. "I might be sleeping with her, but every time I went after her for breaking the law, she actually ended up arrested and convicted," was the tart response, and this time it was the Lieutenant's turn to look shocked. Shego smiled; Kim was so adorable when she got snarky. Shego also couldn't help but be at least a little proud that Kim had just admitted to being her lover in front of the cops.

The Lieutenant coughed; she wasn't expecting Kim to admit to that kind of relationship so readily. She regrouped as quickly as could, but there was a noticeable pause before she said anything else. "That very well may be, Miss Possible," she said at last, "but times have changed; you don't seem to be turning her in now."

"Why should I turn her in when she hasn't done anything?" Kim challenged. "I know where she was then, and unless there are two of her, she didn't do it." Kim's voice trailed off as she said the second sentence and Shego glanced over in interest. Unless she missed her guess, Kimmie was figuring something out.

The Lieutenant snorted but said nothing, turning away from Kim and putting the handcuffs on Shego. Shego tested the metal; she could have melted through them in a snap, but she decided to play nice. "Bye, Pink," she said, almost nose-to-nose with Kim after the Lieutenant had turned her to put on the cuffs. She took advantage of the situation and kissed Kim deeply, disconcerting the surrounding police by her show of affection. The Lieutenant tugged on her handcuffs and they broke apart. Shego sighed, giving Kim a quick kiss on the forehead as she made another request. "It looks like I'm going to need a lawyer, Pumpkin," she said. "Do you think you could call Bob for me?"

Kim looked at her. "Bob's an estate lawyer," she said, puzzled.

"Well, yeah, but he always represented me in the past," Shego said, shrugging.

"And what happened at all of those trials?" Kim asked, figuring an estate lawyer, even an estate lawyer as genial and intelligent as Bob was, might be out of his element in a criminal trial.

"We would go to court, I would plead guilty, I would go jail and when I got bored, I would bust out," Shego answered.

"See, yeah, that won't work this time because you're innocent," Kim replied, rolling her eyes but still smiling at her. "I have a couple of criminal lawyers that I know; I'll call them up and see if I can cash in a favor."

Shego smiled back. "If you think it's necessary, Pink," she said affectionately.

"It is," Kim answered warmly. The Lieutenant, tired of all the sentiment, pulled the handcuffs harder, forcing Shego to come away from Kim. Rama growled a warning from the van, and interestingly enough, the pulling became less pronounced. Shego winked at Kim as she was put in the back of the car, and after the door had been closed, the Lieutenant came over to say one last thing to Kim.

"You had better have a permit for that animal," she warned.

"I do, from the director of the wildlife refuge, the head of animal control, the mayor, the governor and the Secretary of Agriculture," Kim said sweetly, and she wasn't lying. She knew having a wild animal out and about would cause concern, so she had made every effort to make sure Rama had the necessary paperwork and could legally be out and about. The Lieutenant scowled at her, but said nothing and retreated to her car. She drove away and all of the other officers followed her in their cars, leaving Rama and Kim alone.

"Well, that sucked," Kim admitted to Rama, and Rama nodded in agreement. Kim rubbed his head and then looked around, her gaze settling on the Mansion. Her chin lifted and her shoulders squared as she put aside her anger towards the Lieutenant and her worry about Shego and focused her thoughts on fixing the situation that was causing both. As her offhand comment to the Lieutenant about there being two Shegos reminded her, there _was_ another version of Shego running, or rather, floating about, and that version was very protective of Shego and did have a tendency to meddle. "Come on, boy," she said to Rama. "We need to see if anyone is home."

She used her keys to let herself in and opened the door before coming to stand in the foyer and literally freezing in her tracks. It was colder in here than it was outside and it couldn't have been more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit out there. She zipped up the jacket she was about to discard and went to check the thermostat, taking note that she was seeing her breath. The thermostat was set at very reasonable temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and the unit was turned on. She reached up to feel the vent that was right above her head, and there was warm air coming out of it, but it could do little against the pervasive chill in the Mansion. She did a quick survey of the windows and doors, but they all seemed to be closed. Kim smiled, but then frowned. The person she wanted to speak to was here, but she was angry or upset about something.

"Aunt Sheila?" she called out warily. There was no response, but that didn't surprise Kim. Aunt Sheila might not be in the mood for talking and she might not even be in this part of the house. Kim started on a thorough, room-by-room search, going at first through the downstairs before moving to the upstairs. She finally found Aunt Sheila in the wardrobe room, floating before the wardrobe containing her and Aunt Mim's weddings gowns and the outfits Kim and Shego had worn to Homecoming. She didn't acknowledge Kim's presence at all, but instead reached out a ghostly hand to touch one of the sleeves of the left-hand wedding gown. Her hand passed right through it, but she tried again, and this time she succeeded in procuring it. She gently brought the sleeve up to her face, looking at it sadly before letting it drop. She turned to face Kim, her face downcast, and Kim was stunned to see what could only be tears sliding slowly down her cheeks. "Aunt Sheila?" Kim said gently. Sheila looked up at Kim, and the utter sadness on that face was heartbreaking to see. Aunt Sheila wasn't just upset; she was devastated.

"Leave here, Mim-jay," Sheila ordered quietly, turning away from Kim. "I cannot bear the sight of you and I do not wish to harm you."

"I can't leave until you tell me what happened with Nina," Kim said firmly. "Shego's been arrested and if she's convicted, she will be in jail for the rest of her life. She has finally admitted that she loves me; I couldn't stand to have her taken away now."

"She has always loved you, Mim-jay; she was just too prideful, too scared and far too big of a fool to admit it," Sheila said, her voice still a sad whisper.

"I know that and that's why I want her with me, not in jail for a crime that she didn't commit," Kim answered in exasperation. "I need to know what happened with Nina so I can get her out."

"I cannot help you, Mim-jay," Sheila said and started to fade from view.

Kim's anger snapped. "Why won't you help me?" she asked, her eyes flashing. "Don't you even care what happens to Shego? Where's Aunt Mim? I can hardly believe that she would stand by and let you do this to Shego."

Sheila's face swiftly reappeared and Kim felt an unseen hand clasp her throat and begin to tighten. "Mim is not here; now leave my house!" Sheila growled, letting go of her grip as she threw Kim backwards. She disappeared from view as Kim landed on the floor.

Kim rubbed her throat. She got up slowly from the floor and left the wardrobe room. She didn't leave, though; she was going to get to the bottom of this if it killed her. She activated her wrist Kimmunicator. "Hey Wade," she said when he appeared.

"Hey Kim," he replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Shego's been arrested for a crime she didn't commit and the one person that can clear her is a distraught ghost," Kim summarized. "We need to get in contact with Aunt Mim to see if she can talk sense into Aunt Sheila, but she isn't in the Mansion right now. I know this sounds crazy, but do we have any mediums or psychics that owe us a favor? I need to talk to Aunt Mim now and I don't know how to summon her."

Wade lifted his eyebrows but said nothing, instead turning his attention to his computer screen. He scanned the information he had accessed, and after a couple of minutes, he grinned. "You're in luck, Kim," he said. "We do have a medium on the favor list. I'll call her and see if she can meet you at the Mansion as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Wade," Kim replied. "And could you do me one more favor?" she asked rhetorically. "Could you call Ron and ask him to meet me over here? I really need a friend right now."

"No problem," Wade replied. "I'll call you back when I have some info."

"Spanking," Kim answered. "Talk to you in a few, Wade."

"Bye, Kim," Wade said.

Kim looked around cautiously before ducking into the parlor. She didn't want to upset Aunt Sheila any further, but she was darn well not leaving. She sat on the couch gingerly, as though it might bite, and when it seemed okay, she settled in a little more, but she still stayed on edge, ready to jump and run at an instant's notice. A few minutes passed with neither call from Wade or attack from malcontented ghost, and Kim didn't know if she should be worried or grateful. At last her Kimmunicator rang and she hastily answered it. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked.

"Ron is on his way over and so is Bea," he answered. "They should both be there in a few minutes."

"Bea?" Kim questioned.

"Bea Tnick from the _Rhapsodizing Rutabaga_. Apparently, not only is she a hippie, she's a spiritualist," Wade replied enthusiastically. "And she was very gracious to come over right away when I explained the situation and explained it was you." Kim smiled a little. She liked Bea, and if she had actually thought a little bit, she could have figured out that was who Wade could have been calling. Bea was one of the few people that Team Possible had helped out that Kim could even imagine being a medium.

"Thanks again, Wade," Kim said. "Bye," she added as the doorbell rang just then.

"Bye, Kim," Wade said and signed off.

Kim went quietly down the stairs and answered the door. Ron was on the other side, and Kim grabbed him up in a big hug. "Easy, KP," he said, hugging her tightly in return. "Wade filled me on some of the details," he said when Kim relaxed her grip a few moments later. "So, SG is in jail, huh? How are you holding up?" he asked, concerned.

"Okay," Kim said noncommittally.

"That well, I see," he commented and decided something was needed to lighten the somber mood. "So how was Mexico?" he asked impishly. "And how was SG?"

"She was awesome," Kim admitted before realizing what she'd said. She blushed a deep scarlet, and in spite of the fact that the situation dictated sympathy, Ron laughed heartily at her expense. Kim sighed. "How did you know about Mexico?" she grumbled.

"Monique told Lindsay and Lindsay told me," he confessed, still chuckling. His face grew serious, and he turned Kim to face him. "Before we get too involved in saving SG, KP, I just want to let you know that I am happy for you both," he said sincerely. "I _was_ upset at first, but I am over that now, and all that matters is that you are my best friend and you are happy. Well, that, and Lindsay is kinda more my type than you."

"Yeah she is," Kim agreed. "You have a lot in common with her. And she is straight, which is a bonus."

Ron chuckled. "True, that," he said.

Kim smiled. Embarrassment aside, this conversation was making her feel a whole lot better, a feeling that increased as she saw Bea coming up the walk. "So wonderful to see you again, Ms. Possible!" Bea said effusively, her face breaking out into her trademark smile.

"It's good to see you too, Bea," Kim replied. "But please call me Kim."

"I would be delighted," Bea said dreamily. "So, Kim, Mr. Load informs me that you have a discontented spirit?"

"Yes, and I need help contacting the one other spirit who can calm her down," Kim explained.

"Spirits are fickle, Kim, but I will do my best," Bea promised. "Shall we go in?"

"Sure," Kim said. "But you'll want to keep your coats on."

The three of them entered the house, only to be stopped by a growling clouded leopard.

"Ahh!" Ron exclaimed, jumping back.

"It's only Rama," Kim assured him. "It's okay, Rama; it's only us." Rama stopped growling, but continued to stare at Ron. Ron looked back warily before scooting past him to join Kim in the foyer.

Bea closed her eyes and allowed herself to soak in the vibrations and aura of the house. After a few moments, she opened her eyes. "There is an unhappy spirit here," she said.

Kim really had to resist the urge to roll her eyes and say "well, duh!" She also had to resist the urge to brand Bea as a phony. "Can you feel anything else, Bea?" she asked politely, keeping her thoughts to herself.

Bea closed her eyes again, her brow clenching and her face growing melancholy as she felt something else. "She is unhappy because she is alone and alone she is not whole. The other half of her essence is missing," she said, her sympathy for the plight of the ghost she was sensing apparent on her face.

"The other half of her essence? " Kim said, puzzled.

"The one other being she cannot exist without," Bea explained. "She is trapped here without that being."

"That being can only be Aunt Mim," Kim realized. Bea looked at her with dreamy curiosity. "Her wife," Kim explained hastily.

Bea nodded. "Were they married long?" she asked.

Kim did the quick math in her head. "Eighty-three years," she calculated.

Bea smiled briefly. "Then yes, that is who she probably cannot get back to," she said.

"Do you think you could bring Mim here?" Kim asked hopefully.

"I can ask her to come, but I can't guarantee she will or can," Bea answered. She sat down on the nearest chair and began to meditate, speaking quietly to herself.

"Shouldn't be around a spooky table holding hands?" Ron asked Kim quietly.

Kim shrugged. "I have no idea how to hold a séance, Ron," she whispered back. "That is why Bea is here." They watched as Bea continued to mutter under her breath. At first nothing happened, and Kim started to feel discouraged. Then, slowly but surely, a form started to appear and Kim hoped that it was Mim. As soon as the spirit had fully materialized, though, it was quite evident that it was not, for never in her life did Mim have a moustache, and this one did. He also looked a great deal like Ron.

Upon seeing him, Ron forgot that they were trying to be quiet so that Bea could concentrate. "Uncle Jon?" he asked excitedly.

The ghost broke into a wide grin. "Ronald, my boy! I was hoping you might be accompanying young Kimberly," he said happily. "How has life been treating my favorite present-day relative?"

"Well, I got dumped by my girlfriend for another girl, but then I met someone awesome," Ron said cheerfully.

"Happens to the best of us, my lad, but we Stoppables land on our feet," he said with a wink. He turned his attention to Kim. "Ah, young Kimberly, Mim has told me so much about you. I wish we could have met under better circumstances," he said regretfully.

"Me, too, sir," Kim answered.

"Please, call me Jon," he insisted. "That goes for you too, young lady," he added, addressing Bea who was looking at him mellowly, yet proudly, from her place on the couch. She nodded and Jon smiled. His face sobered and he looked at all of them. "I apologize for not being the spirit you wished to see, but Mim has been remanded to the ethereal realm, and she sent me in her place."

"What happened, Jon?" Kim asked. "Why is Aunt Sheila down here and Aunt Mim up there?"

"Because they broke the rules," Jon said simply. "They were warned time and time again that they were not to interfere with events down here, but they did not listen. After this latest altercation, it was decided that enough was enough and they were to be punished. The most effective way of punishing them was to separate them."

"For how long?" Kim asked, frowning at what she considered to be an excessive punishment.

"Forever," Jon said sadly.

"Forever?!" Kim echoed, outraged at the injustice. She opened her mouth to say more, but then a quiet voice cut through the room.

"How is she, Jon?" Sheila said softly and everyone turned to see her floating near the entrance to the room.

"About as well as can be expected, Lil," Jon said. "What with her soul is ripped apart and all."

"That was not my fault, Jon," Sheila said, her tone defensive as she came closer.

"Then whose fault was it, exactly, Lil?" Jon challenged, his voice rising. "Whose fault is it that you are down here eternally miserable and my best friend is up there eternally despondent? Whose fault is it that you two could never manage to learn that rules apply to you just as much as they do to other people? You were not supposed to be down here, Lil; you knew that, you ignored it, and now the both of you are in your own little versions of hell."

"Are you quite finished?" Sheila said angrily.

"No," Jon said, equally angry. "And I won't be finished until we find some way to fix this stupid mess you have managed to get yourselves into." He took a calming but physiologically superfluous breath and calmed down. His face softened. "I love you both far too much to see you both miserable like this," he admitted.

"How are we supposed to rectify this, Jon?" Sheila asked. "The judgment was final."

"Well, Mim can't come down here, so we need to get you back up there somehow," Jon decided. "That way you can plead your case to whoever sent you down here in the first place and at the same time be with Mim."

"How am I supposed to return? I am banished," Sheila reminded him.

"Find a way to be resurrected and die again?" Jon proposed.

"Been there, done that, Uncle Jon," Ron answered. "And I don't think the purple lady is around anymore."

"Oh," Jon answered. He thought some more. "You could return in my place," he offered.

"I cannot do that, Jon," Sheila said immediately. "You would be banished here forever."

"It would not be forever," Jon disagreed. "Because once you and Mim are reunited, you will find a way to make everything all right."

"I do not share your faith, Jon," Sheila replied. "It was the two of us that concocted this whole situation to begin with."

"True, but the rules don't apply to you two, and you always find a way around them," he said with a smile. "You won't leave me down here." Sheila sighed. It was so tempting, but she would not risk Jon being here forever.

"Um, not to be a spoilsport, but wouldn't they know if Sheila came back instead of Uncle Jon?" Ron asked reasonably.

"Not until it was too late; then they could do nothing about it," Jon explained. He looked at Sheila who was still very obviously not going to go along with this plan. "There is no decision to make, Lil," he said cheerfully. "You are going back and you are going to get all of this cleared up."

Sheila glared at him, sensing that there was subterfuge afoot. "You were planning this from the moment Mim asked you to come," she accused.

Jon shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not," he said noncommittally.

Sheila sighed. "I'll never be able to repay you," she said at last.

"Repay me as you always have: by making my best friend happy," Jon said. "Besides, I am still in your debt for introducing me to Monica."

"That debt was paid long ago," she protested. She looked around one last time at everyone, not knowing if she would see them again. "Good bye," she said, and disappeared before she could change her mind.

"So now what do we do?" Ron asked as they all stood looking at one another.

"We wait," Jon replied. They all sat down and stared at one another before Kim realized she had something more pressing and excused herself to call the criminal lawyers she knew. Ron, Jon, and Bea, on the other hand, kept sitting and looking at one another, the living ones shedding their jackets as the heat started to return to the Mansion. Ron, growing fidgety, decided to look around on the bookshelf and much to his delight, found a stack of games.

"Um, Parcheesi, anyone?" he offered.

"I would love to play," Jon said enthusiastically.

"That would be lovely," Bea agreed.

"I'm in," Kim said, coming back into the room after finishing her quick phone calls.

As Ron was getting out the board and pieces, he started to make conversation. "So, Uncle Jon, who was Monica?" he asked.

"My wife," Jon said proudly. He chuckled. "But heavens above was it a brouhaha when I married her. Mim and Sheila were having a Sapphic relationship right under everyone's noses but _I_ was the one who was scandalizing the town."

"Why?" Kim asked, as she picked the red piece. "Was she African-American?" she asked, thinking there might be a Monica/Monique connection

"No, worse. She was _Jewish_," Jon said, chuckling.

Kim laughed. "I bet it was tough being fodder for the town gossips," she said.

"Eh, we managed and after a while they got bored and left us alone," Jon replied. "And they'll leave you alone too, after they get used to you being with a female ex-convict."

Kim smiled. "I hope so," she said. She put her piece on the board, thinking wistfully of her beautiful ex-convict. She missed Shego, and going to bed without her tonight was going to be sucky.

Middleton County Lock-Up – Later that Evening

Shego sighed and turned over yet again. This sucked. Yesterday night she was in a large, warm, comfortable bed making love to her beautiful girlfriend who, after she had rocked Shego's world yet again, had wrapped her adorable self around Shego and had fallen asleep. Tonight, though, Shego was in a small, cold, crappy bed with no adorable girlfriend. She sighed again and flipped over onto her back, trying to fight the temptation to say fuck it, bust out and go spend the night with Kimmie. That probably wouldn't do her any favors at her trial, though, she thought grumpily.

Another thought occurred to her. She didn't have to bust out and go to Kimmie's house; she could just bust out and leave Middleton altogether. They would never catch her and she could return to her old life, the one where didn't have to follow the rules like some love-struck sheep.

She thought about it, sighed and pulled up the crappy blanket. "Aw, fuck it. Baa," she said defiantly, surrendering her old life to the new one she wanted to make with Kimmie.


	8. Under Attack

A/N: Not much to say here, except thanks to everyone for reading. :)

Chapter 8 – Under Attack

Sheila knew the moment she had gotten back; the afterlife felt much different on this side of the divide than on Earth. She did not take the time to savor her return; instead, she reached out, her soul searching desperately for the one whom she sought. It took some doing, but at last there she was, her mournful spirit a blight on the joy that permeated this place. Sheila called out and Mim heard her, but as was typical in these situations, Mim was as distant as she could possibly be from where Sheila found herself. Knowing the Overseers would rapidly find her, Sheila set out to find Mim immediately, for if the Overseers found her, she could be banished again without ever beholding her love.

Mim felt Sheila return before she heard her desperate cry, but it took that cry to convince Mim that what she felt was real; Sheila had managed to return to her. She really could not care less how that might have occurred; all she cared about was reaching Sheila before Sheila was taken from her again.

From opposite sides of their shared eternal plane, they made their way toward each other, sweeping errant souls out of the way as they both tried to elude the Authorities. In a way, Sheila felt quite foolish; they were ethereal not corporeal beings now, and yet she was looking over a non-existent shoulder to prevent her capture. Old habits did die hard it seemed, but all such idle musings were forgotten as the last of the obstructions fell away and she came into Mim's presence.

Neither one could speak or even think; they had thought themselves to be separated forever, so now to stand and bask in each other caused such an overwhelming rush of emotion that neither words nor thoughts could do it justice. They savored the feel of each other's essence and they remembered what it was like to feel whole. After a while, the ability to communicate returned, and Sheila was the first to break the silence. "I am so sorry, Mim," she said softly.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Lil," Mim protested, soothing her. "I am just as much to blame as you are."

"But…" Sheila began.

"I do not wish to hear it," Mim forestalled her gently. "I only care that you are here now. We can deal with the consequences at a later time."

"Sheila Lillane Goshen and Miriam Kymberleigh Possible!" an authoritative voice bellowed from a location near to their own.

"Would those be the consequences to which you were referring?" Sheila inquired wryly.

"Perhaps," Mim allowed dryly.

"Must They always treat us as though we were children?" Sheila objected, her jubilation at being reunited with Mim causing her innate self-confidence and pride to come back with a vengeance even in the face of Divine disapproval.

"To Them we are children," Mim reminded her before they were whisked away to their judgment.

The Middleton Mansion – The next morning

Kim yawned and stretched. She looked around sleepily, noting Ron and Rufus asleep on the couch next to her and Bea snoring softly in the chair they had turned to face the playing table. The morning light was coming in through the windows and brightening up the living room, and Kim realized that the nap they had decided on after the fifth game of Parcheesi must have turned into full-blown sleep. She ran her hand through her hair, blinking, as she tried to convince herself that waking up was what she wanted to do. She looked past Bea's chair into the space beyond and saw a white form floating there interestedly looking at the photographs. Her heart quickened at the thought it could be Mim and/or Sheila, but the short hair and moustache were dead giveaways that it was not. She shook her head as she carefully got off the couch. Her mind must be seriously compensating for the lack of her sarcastic sweetie if it was coming up with phrases like "dead giveaways" in conjunction with ghosts.

"Morning, Kimberly!" Jon said happily, yet quietly, mindful of those sleeping not so far away.

"Good morning, Jon," Kim replied affectionately, his goofy charm having won her over already.

"Sheila was quite the photographer, wasn't she?" he observed enthusiastically. "I had no idea her talent was this prodigious."

"She was very good," Kim agreed. "And Mim was an awesome writer, so they made a great team."

"Still do, my dear, and nothing will ever change that," Jon said with obvious affection. "They are probably upending the afterlife as we speak."

Kim laughed. She glanced at the clock and was surprised to find out that it was nearly eight o'clock. "I'm so sorry, Jon," she apologized, her body kicking in to hurry mode. "I would love to talk some more, but I have an appointment with Shego's lawyer at nine."

"No apologies necessary, my dear," Jon assured her. "And if the others awake, I shall inform them of where you have gone."

"Thanks, Jon," Kim said sincerely. Jon nodded and Kim slipped out the front door to make a mad dash to her own house for a shower and fresh clothes.

Middleton County Lockup – 11:00AM

"Goshen!" the guard barked at Shego from the outside of her cell.

"Yeah?" Shego asked, not looking up from the paper she was reading. _The Middleton Gazette_ had run a front page story about her capture, and the editorial page had an essay about whether a career criminal could really change. It was the editor's opinion that said criminal could if they wanted to, and she was quite critical of the way the Middleton police department had treated Shego. "Ms. Goshen has shown a complete willingness to change and has been embraced by one of our town's oldest and most respected families. I find it hard that that she, or any criminal for that matter, would be inclined to continue giving up their life of crime if they are to be harassed by the police anyway," the editor had written. Shego smirked. She was glad for the editor's support, but she did have to wonder if it was truly her honest opinion or if she was merely defending the person who signed her paychecks.

"Your lawyer is here to see you," her guard told her, interrupting both her thoughts and her reading.

Shego looked down from the top bunk. "My lawyer?" she questioned, jumping off and putting her paper on the lower bunk.

"Yeah, your lawyer," the guard confirmed, unlocking the door. "And I heard that Kim Possible is with her." Shego didn't say anything, but she couldn't help the small smile that automatically sprang to her features. The guard noted it, and her eyebrow quirked. "And here I thought it was just a rumor," she said in an amused tone. Shego just smirked and shrugged. The guard locked her cell behind her and escorted her to a holding room to wait for Kim and her still unknown lawyer. The guard left and came back a few minutes later, escorting Kim and a blond middle-aged woman carrying a large briefcase into the room as well.

"I'll be back in an hour," she informed them.

"An hour will be fine; thank you," the blond woman said crisply. The guard nodded and shut the door, and Shego's lawyer took a seat at the table and opened her briefcase. After taking out a white box, she took out a legal pad and turned to face Shego, only to find that her potential client had abandoned her seat and was currently embracing Kim with fervor. She chuckled. "Now I see why Kim insisted on coming," she said wryly.

Kim blushed and reluctantly broke off their hug. "Sorry, Aunt Zan," she said apologetically. "Shego, meet my Aunt Zandra. Aunt Zan, this is my girlfriend Shego," she said, making the introductions.

"Very nice to meet you, Shego," Zandra said.

"Very nice to meet you, too, ma'am, and thank you for agreeing to take my case," Shego said respectfully.

"It is no problem; besides, my niece, my grandmother, my mother, my aunt and my cousin would have hounded me until I did," Zan said wryly. "And please, call me Zan," she insisted. "Everyone else does."

Shego smirked. She liked Zan already; she had a sense of humor. "You must be from Mrs. Dr. P's side of the family," Shego decided, noting the family resemblance and knowing that Mr. Dr. P only had his older brother Slim and no sisters.

"That I am," Zan confirmed, smiling. "Ann is my first cousin, but my mom Pandora and her mom, Kim's grandma Nancy, are identical twin sisters and we were together a lot as kids; she is really more like my sister."

"Which makes you 'Aunt' Zan," Shego guessed.

"Pretty much, even though Kim and I are really second cousins," Zan confirmed.

Shego nodded. That would explain how Kimmie had found a lawyer so quickly; the one she had on speed dial was family. "Well, I know you had a familial obligation, but thank you again for taking my case. Kimmie here informed me that my estate lawyer wasn't going to cut it this time," Shego said.

"And she's right; you do need a criminal attorney," Zan said, causing Kim to smirk smugly. "Especially with charges like these." She jotted a few notes down on her pad. "So Kim tells me that you did have a criminal record but that Betty arranged some sort of deal whereby you were pardoned if you stayed out of trouble?" she asked.

"Betty?" Shego questioned.

"Dr. Director," Kim quickly explained.

"Oh, yeah, she did," Shego said distractedly, her mind still working on "Betty". "You know Dr. Director well enough to call her 'Betty'?" she asked Zan, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Of course," Zan said, unaware that Shego didn't know all of Kim's family connections. "Her dad Daniel is Mom and Aunt Nancy's older brother. She, like Ann, is my first cousin."

"Meaning that you have a doctor, a lawyer, the head of an international intelligence agency and a supervillain on that side of the family," Shego concluded, already knowing that Gemini and Dr. Director were twins. She smirked. "That explains a lot," she said, looking at Kim and still smirking. "But anyway, yes, Dr. Director did manage to get my outstanding warrants commuted if I stayed out of trouble."

"So if you committed another crime…" Zan began.

"…my ass would be right back in jail," Shego finished.

"Hm, that would be a good deterrent against committing more crime, especially since you seem to have a reason to want to stay out of jail now," Zan said, looking at Kim.

"Yes, I do," Shego agreed.

"So, Kim tells me that you weren't even in Middleton on the night of the alleged attack," Zan said, writing down something else.

"No, we were at the beach house in Mexico," Shego confirmed.

"And Kim was with you the whole time?" Zan asked, just to be sure.

"Yes," Shego said.

"And you told the authorities this, right?" she asked Kim.

"Of course," Kim replied. "But they didn't listen to me."

Zan frowned and grabbed the criminal complaint. "It looks like the only witness they could possibly have is the victim," she said, flipping through the pages. "And she is your ex-girlfriend, which of course complicates matters." Zan shook her head, still flipping. "I really don't know how they even got the warrant through," she said. "They are basing it solely on the eyewitness account of a spurned ex-girlfriend. Granted, she _was_ injured and she filed the complaint from the hospital, but it couldn't have been you." Zan scribbled some more. "Could anyone verify that you were in Mexico in case they make the claim that Kim is lying for you?"

"We went to the same restaurant every night," Kim offered. "Sergio would testify for us."

"Yeah, he would," Shego agreed.

"Well, then, that is an option if we have to go that far," Zan decided. "But based on what I've seen, they have a very flimsy case. When we go to court for your arraignment, I am going to bring up a motion to dismiss."

"Would it help if we knew who did it?" Kim inquired.

"We know who did it?" Shego asked, surprised.

"Yup, we do," Kim answered. "Aunt Sheila did it."

"Nana Sheila did it?" Shego asked, and Kim nodded. Shego thought about it some more. "Actually, that makes a weird kind of sense," she said, nodding.

"Who is Aunt/Nana Sheila?" Zan asked.

"She's my great-great Aunt," Shego explained. "She lived with my Nana Mim at the Middleton Mansion where I live until she died, and now she and Nana Mim come by to haunt the place and bug us every now and again. She looks just like me, just a little more see-through and a little less green."

"She's a ghost," Zan clarified. Kim and Shego nodded. "Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder," she sighed. "Well, to answer your question, Kim, I don't think that information will help," Zan said honestly. "But we may have to bring it up if we go to trial." She wrote a few more items on her pad and put it away in her briefcase, snapping the lid closed when she was finished. "Well, I think that does it for me," she decided. "I have everything I need to write my motion and everything we might need for your arraignment." She handed Kim the box she had pulled out of her briefcase. "I'll be outside," she said with a slight smirk.

The door had barely clicked shut before Kim tossed the box to the ground and they were in each other's arms. They kissed hungrily, trying to make up for the hours they had been forced to spend apart. Eventually, they had to break apart to breathe, but Shego immediately gathered Kim up in a loose hug. "Last night sucked, Princess," she said morosely.

"For me too, sweetie," Kim said, sighing, as she put her arms around Shego's waist.

"I wanted to bust out and come see you," Shego admitted.

"I almost wish you had," Kim confessed.

"I can tonight," Shego offered.

"Aunt Zan would kill us both," Kim replied ruefully. She begrudgingly let go of Shego and retrieved the box she had hastily discarded. "I had Aunt Zan smuggle this in," she said, handing the box to Shego. "I hope he helps." Shego opened it and she smiled as she pulled out Mongkut. "I know you don't like your presents returned, but he is a loaner," Kim said affectionately.

Shego chuckled and brought him closer, smiling even wider as she caught a whiff of Kimmie's distinctive scent on him. Lucky stuffed toy must be sleeping where she had wanted to sleep last night. "He'll help a lot. Thanks, Pumpkin," she said, placing Mongkut carefully down on the table before capturing Kim's lips in a kiss. A sharp knock sounded at the door, and they hastily broke apart as Zan came back in the room.

"The guard is coming back," she explained, taking a seat. Kim and Shego followed suit, and they all sat around the table looking at one another as the guard opened the door.

"I'm afraid time is up, ladies," she said, poking her head in.

Kim and Zan got up. "We'll be in touch, Shego," Zan said, offering her hand.

Shego reached out and shook it. "Thanks, Zan," she said.

"Bye, Junior," Kim said dejectedly.

"Bye, Pink," Shego said, equally dejected. She watched them walk out the door and heard her guard taking them down the hall. She grabbed Mongkut and fiddled with him until her guard came back and took her back to her cell.

Kim didn't say much as they walked back to the car, and Zan knew she hated leaving Shego in there. "We'll get her out as soon as we can, honey, I promise," she swore.

"I know, Aunt Zan," Kim replied. "You're an awesome lawyer and you will do your best. I just miss her when she's not around."

"Of course you do," Zan said kindly. "You're young and in love. But she'll be back soon, because we are getting her out of there, even if we have to tell the court a ghost did it."

"You believe me, right?" Kim asked, detecting a note of sarcasm in there.

"Sweetie, as your girlfriend so astutely pointed out, there is a doctor, a lawyer, the head of an international intelligence agency and a supervillain on our side of the family, not to mention a teen heroine that, if the stories I hear from Ann are true, seems to have the most bizarre adventures," Zan answered. "So, a ghost? Eh, not a big deal. But most families don't have that kind of background and a jury is going to think we are nuts if we bring in that defense. So, we mention it only if we have to."

Kim smiled. Her family really rocked sometimes. "Thanks, Aunt Zan," she said. She glanced at her watch. "Do you think you could give me a lift to school?" she asked. "I promised Mom I would try to make it to my afternoon classes."

"Sure thing," Zan said. "But I think we need some lunch first, agreed?"

"Agreed," Kim agreed, her thoughts turning to food to keep her mind off Shego.

The Ethereal Realm – Later that afternoon, if afternoons existed

Sheila and Mim stood before the Great Thrones, waiting as the Overseers looked them over. They had both expected instantaneous re-banishment for Sheila, so the fact that she remained beside Mim was heartening to them both. At last the Male Overseer spoke, and there were anger and frustration in his tone. "How in Our Name did you manage to make it back here? Did We not banish you to the physical realm?" he asked.

"A great friend of ours agreed to take my place on Earth," Sheila answered honestly.

The Male Overseer scowled. "It is not enough that we separate the two of you; now it seems we must separate you from the rest of Creation if you are to be truly punished," he growled.

Unexpectedly, the Female Overseer laughed melodically, and the others in attendance looked at her surprise. "We already have much to punish them for," She said. "But We cannot punish them for exploiting the circumstances. If We have that inexplicable rule, they should be free to utilize it." Mim and Sheila looked at one another, relieved. That was one less infraction that they would have to stand in judgment for. "Do not think yourselves absolved," the Female Overseer warned, reading their thoughts. "You should have rejected Jonathan's offer and resigned yourself to your punishment."

"Yes, I should have," Sheila freely admitted. "But what I should do and what I will do are vastly different things if my Miriam is involved." She bowed her head in supplication, surprising Mim with the rare display of humility and deference. "I am at Your mercy and I will willingly submit to Your righteous punishment for me. I only ask that You do not separate her from me again," Sheila pleaded. "I could not bear it."

"That was the intention of the punishment," the Male Overseer said coldly. "And the punishment was just; you have no right to ask for anything."

"As You say, I do not have the right to ask for anything, but I am doing so anyway," Sheila answered. "I am coming to you in penitence, asking for leniency. I know my mistakes and I have learned from them."

"You have learnt nothing; You are only coming to Us in penitence because you were separated from her," the Male Overseer scoffed.

"But I come nonetheless, and is that not the point of punishment?" Sheila countered. "Is it not to make me repent for what I have done and the actions I have committed? It has done its task; I am truly sorry for what I have done; please rescind this punishment. I swear I will not go against Your precepts again."

"You will follow Our precepts only until it serves your purpose," the Female Overseer said, a knowing look on her face. "We have no guarantee that what transpired on Earth will not happen again should We allow the two of you to resume your fellowship."

"You could restrict us to the ethereal plane," Mim suggested, speaking for the first time.

"You already were and that did little to keep you here," the Female Overseer pointed out, and Mim could have sworn that there was something akin to wry amusement in her tone.

"You could banish us both to Earth," Sheila offered.

"Allowing you more opportunities to interfere with mortals?" the Male Overseer asked scathingly. "You have ruined countless destines and nearly took a mortal's life!"

"I did not 'nearly take a mortal's life'," Sheila protested. "She was far from being in mortal danger."

"You attacked a mortal," the Female Overseer said flatly. "There is no justification for that, regardless if she came to real harm or not. Why would you do something so foolish as to break the one rule that would mandate retribution?"

"It was not intentional; it was a foolish, angry impulse and nothing more," Sheila answered heatedly. "And in spite of what we are told on Earth, being dead does not exempt one from feeling the range of normal human emotions, which of course includes anger."

"But after humans have passed what happens down there is no longer supposed to be their concern," the Female Overseer pointed out.

"Anything that involves Junior is my concern, regardless of where it might occur," Sheila stated firmly.

"And so you interfere, and now the one you hold so dear is on trial for crimes you committed," the Female Overseer rejoined.

Sheila paused, her shame at that truth apparent. "That obviously was not my intention," she said petulantly. "I only wished to scare that girl, so that she would leave Junior and Mim-jay in peace. She had no business being about the Mansion at that time of night, except in order to attempt some sort of ill-advised seduction of Junior. Junior has finally moved on and is happier than I have seen her in a long, long time. I could not stand by and let the person who had caused the most pain and unhappiness in her life to attempt to take the happiness she had found."

"Except that Sheila the Younger was not even present, so the intervention was not even necessary," the Female Overseer countered. "You hold your great-grand niece in such high regard; do you not trust her to make the right choices?"

"My outburst was not about futzing with Junior's choices, for if her recent history is any indication, she will choose Mim-jay time and time again," Sheila replied. "I just want to see her happy and peaceful, and I thought it would be easier without some sycophantic harpy plaguing her."

"And yet your thought has taken her from her place of peace and happiness by separating her from the one that she wishes to be with," the Male Overseer replied. "And, if the trial down below is successful, they will be separated for many, many years."

"All of which adds to my punishment," Sheila said resignedly. "I know that I have done wrong and I am truly sorry for it; please, I only ask that Miriam and I be rejoined."

"Very well, "the Female Overseer agreed unexpectedly. "From this point on, you two shall once again be one." Mim and Sheila looked at Her in disbelief; as badly as they thought it had gone so far, they were both preparing for their inevitable separation. "Do not thank me," the Female Overseer admonished, reading both their faces and their thoughts. "For now that you are again as one, you must now face your judgment as one, even if only one of you is to blame."

"So be it," Mim said boldly. "I welcome the opportunity to be able to stand with Sheila."

"As have you always," the Female Overseer said, and Mim, insofar as a spirit could, blushed.

Middleton County Courthouse – Late the next afternoon

Shego impatiently paced around her holding cell. Zan was supposed to have been here by now; Shego's arraignment was scheduled for less than an hour away and Shego still had to get changed into more professional attire. Well, she didn't have to, but the orange jumpsuit wasn't really her style. A sharp knock sounded, and Shego turned toward the door. "Come in!" she called. Zan entered, and Shego was puzzled and more than a little annoyed when she came in with only her briefcase. Before Shego could ask where the hell her clothes were, though, a smiling, business-suit clad Kimmie came right in behind her carrying a garment bag.

"Here's your stuff, sweetie," she said perkily, giving Shego a kiss as she handed off the hanger.

"Thanks, Princess," Shego said, kissing her back. When they finished with their hellos, Shego turned to Zan. "Not that I'm complaining, but how does she keep coming in with you? Doesn't it violate attorney/client privilege?"

"Well, as of two days ago, she is a paid intern with my law firm," Zan answered with a smile. "So, she is part of your representation team and she'll stay that way until we need to put her on the witness list." Shego shook her head and smiled. She liked intelligence and deviousness like that in her lawyers. "I'll step out while you change," Zan said. When Kim made no move towards the door, she sighed. "And so will you, young lady," she ordered. Kim tried the puppy-dog pout, but it did no good and she found herself hauled out into the hallway. Shego got dressed quickly, and they went over a few things after she had let Zan and Kim back in. The bailiff came for them in due time, and they all went to the courtroom together.

Their case number was called, and Shego and Zan went to stand at the defendant's table. "How does the defendant plead?" the judge, a one Sally Lisitor, asked Shego.

"Not guilty, Your Honor," Shego said respectfully, and Judge Lisitor did a slight double-take, confirming that yes, it was Shego and this time she was actually pleading "not guilty" in her courtroom.

"Very well, the plea has been entered. What would the State request for bail?" the judge asked.

"Remand, Your Honor," the prosecutor answered. "The defendant is a known flight risk and she has practically unlimited financial resources that would greatly aid her if she chooses to flee."

"And what does the defense say?" the judge asked.

"While it is true that my client has many resources at her disposal, there is nothing for her to gain by jumping bail," Zan replied. "We request $100,000 and my client will surrender her passport."

"The state objects, your Honor," the prosecutor interjected. "That is literally pocket change for the defendant and her family, and passports mean very little when you have your own private plane."

"Your Honor," Zan objected. "The fact is, and everyone here knows it, that if my client truly wanted to flee, she could do so whether or not she is behind bars. Remanding her to custody to prevent an escape attempt is ludicrous. If she has not escaped by now, she is not a flight risk."

The judge frowned. "While I am inclined to agree with the defense counsel's assessment, the defendant is a repeat offender, and at least on paper, she does present a considerable flight risk. Defendant shall be remanded to the County lock-up for trial," the judge decided. Zan and Shego both sighed in frustration. "Is there anything else?" the judge inquired.

"Yes, your Honor," Zan answered, bringing her paperwork up to the bench. "I am submitting a Motion to Dismiss due to lack of evidence."

The judge took her motion. "Very well, I will look it over and render a judgment in a few days," she said.

"Thank you, your Honor," Zan said.

"Next case," the judge said, and with that, their time in the courtroom was over.

Zan, Shego and Kim were escorted back to the holding cell, but Kim bailed as soon as they got there. "I have to go, Junior," she said apologetically. "I just got a call from Wade."

"Go save the world, Pumpkin; I'll be here," Shego said wryly.

Kim smiled. "Love you, Shego," she said, softly kissing her before disappearing down the hallway.

"Love you too, Pink," Shego said to the empty air as Kim vanished. She sighed and looked around to find Zan looking at her.

"Well, at least your alibi is airtight," she said wryly. Shego smirked self-consciously. They sat for a few moments until the bailiff came to get Shego. "I'll meet you back at the lock-up," Zan told her. "We need to plan in case the motion to dismiss is rejected." Shego nodded as the bailiff led her out of the cell.

The Ethereal Realm – A bit later than it was previously

Mim and Sheila waited apprehensively as one very angry and one oddly amused Overseer looked them over. They were to be punished, of that they were certain, but up to this point, the Overseers had given them no indication of what that punishment might be. Finally, the Male Overseer spoke. "I truly do not know of a punishment that is great enough for the crimes that you have committed now that it has been decreed that you two are to remain together. Do you two realize how many lives you have ruined by interfering in events in the physical realm?" He asked.

"I understand that as a form of Deity you are probably prone to hyperbole, but don't you think that 'ruined' is a bit extreme?" Sheila inquired politely. "The woman was not even that harmed."

"I am not referring to that incident!" He thundered. "I am referring to at least three predestined pairings that will never come to be because of your interference!"

"Predestined pairings?" Mim questioned, not trying to be sarcastic but honestly looking for information.

"There are some spirits whose shared destiny is known before they are born," the Female Overseer explained patiently. "You and Sheila are one such pair."

"And you claim that we disrupted these destines sufficiently that these lives will no longer come together," Sheila stated. "But whose lives did we disrupt so drastically?"

"Kimberly and Ronald have always been a predestined couple, as have Sheila the Younger and Nina," the Male Overseer told them.

Sheila and Mim looked at one another and then at Him with identical dubious expressions. "Surely You are not serious," Mim said at last.

"How would it behoove me to lie?" He asked snidely.

"It would not, but Mim-jay prefers the company of women, and Junior has been in love with her for years," Sheila said, bewildered. "Why would Mim-jay be bound to someone she can never be attracted to, and why would Junior be bound to one she does not love? It makes no sense."

"To a mortal, perhaps not," the Male Overseer sniffed. "But you are not privy to Our reasons."

"And what would those reasons be?" Mim asked facetiously. "To make Kimmie-Ann and Junior miserable? Besides, as humans, we have Divine-imparted free will; so while you may know how the story begins and ends, we are allowed to choose our own way to get here from there."

"But have _you_ allowed Sheila the Younger and Kimberly to choose their own path through life?" the Female Overseer asked. "You give them dreams of your past and stories of your great love. How can they not be tempted to follow in your footsteps?"

"They may be tempted but they are not forced to choose one way or the other. We do not give them nightmares of their wives, children, lovers and Nanas being ripped away from them in the most painful way possible in order to force them to do as we wish," Sheila retorted.

"The dreams were a necessity to guide her back from your temptation," the Male Overseer countered.

"No, they were a dastardly attempt to impose your will on a situation that You are supposed to have no control over!" Mim said angrily, her temper at last snapping. "We at least had a purpose to our intervention; if we had not made contact with them, the Earth would have been destroyed. Granted, because we did interfere, Kimmie-Ann and Junior may have become closer than they otherwise would have and that has resulted in romance. But is the dissolution of these so-called predestined pairs really worth the destruction of the entire human race?"

"Perhaps not, but your interference has changed the course of history," the Female Overseer said. "And that is the issue that is really at the heart of this matter. Why should you have the right to alter history and others' destiny to your own whims, when, as you say, every spirit should be free to make whatever choices they deem appropriate?"

"Our objective was never to change any history but that of the world being destroyed," Sheila argued. "We never had anything but the best of intentions."

"Ah, yes, but as the mortal saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions," the Female Overseer replied.

"Then what are we to say or do?" Mim asked. "We are guilty of the charges as they have been presented. There is no defense that we can offer, nor any real restitution that we can make. "

"You could rend asunder the pair that your interference has wrought," The Male Overseer proposed.

"We would willingly frolic in fires of Hell for eternity before we would ever forcibly separate our two young ladies," Mim stated fiercely, and Sheila, equally angry with the suggestion, nodded.

"You may well get your chance to frolic," the Female Overseer said, "But first your eternal fate must be decided. We Two shall retire now, and when We return, We will have your judgment."

The Overseers disappeared as two solemn spirits watched them. "What do you think of our chances, Lil? Do you think we stand a chance of redemption or are we damned for the rest of eternity?" Mim asked.

Sheila sighed. "Well, I don't think we are to be separated, which is an improvement from our previous situation," she said hopefully. "But to use the contemporary vernacular, Mim, I think we're screwed."

Middleton County Lockup – Late in the evening

Shego trudged tiredly back to her cell, a sheaf of notes from Zan in one hand and her courtroom attire in the other. Damn, it had been a long day and in spite of its length, it hadn't been all that productive. She hadn't expected the charges to miraculously disappear or anything stupidly optimistic like that, but she had at least expected to be free on bail. But the stupid prosecutor thought she was a flight risk, and even though Shego could tell that Judge Lisitor agreed with Zan that had she wanted to be gone, she would have been gone already, the judge had to do her duty and remand her, so here she still was. Needless to say, she wasn't happy about it, and she was even less happy when her crappy little cell came into view.

Stupid little crappy thing still didn't have Kimmie in it either, an attribute that depressed Shego more than its dingy appearance. She smiled a little as she thought of Kim, but then frowned again as she thought about how Kim had inexplicably bailed on her after her arraignment. There had been no emergency; that Shego was sure of. Kim was an awful liar, and today's attempt was no exception, meaning Wade hadn't called and Kim was just in a hurry to get the hell out the courtroom for some reason. Shego had no idea why Kim was trying to get away, but the thought that Kim was trying to get away from her depressed her even more. Lost in these happy thoughts, Shego sighed as the guard opened the door; she was so looking forward to another night alone.

The door clanged shut behind her, and she went to go drop her stuff on the lower bunk so she could undress and flop into the upper one. As soon as she was about a foot away from the bars, though, she stopped short. Unless her senses were going haywire, there was an energy field just in front of her. Not knowing what might be waiting for her on the other side, she cautiously put out a hand, and was intrigued when it seemingly disappeared even though she could feel it was still very much attached. It was stupid of her, and she knew it, but she thought eh, what the hell. She brought her hand back and moved her whole self through.

The papers and clothes she was carrying dropped to the floor as she got a good look at what was on the other side of the energy field. Her cell had been completely rearranged; her bunk beds were folded up against the wall and all the furniture had been pushed to the periphery, creating an empty floor space that currently held a futon and several unlit candles. Shego's eyebrows jumped in intrigue before her jaw dropped to the floor along with her papers when a smiling and sparingly-dressed Kimmie emerged from the shadows.

Kim grinned at Shego's reaction. She was hoping for happy, but stunned speechless would work too. She gently closed Shego's jaw and then kissed her, and the action brought Shego back to herself, at least enough to speak. "Um, hey, Princess," Shego said, her mind still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Hey sweetie," Kim said, kissing her once again.

Shego kissed her back, and her arms encircled Kim's waist. Her mind might have been confused into a standstill, but her body knew exactly what to do. Her mind caught up eventually, and she slowly pulled back from Kim, a speculative smirk on her face. "So how in the world did you pull this off and how in the hell are we not going to get caught?" she asked.

Kim grinned. "I had some help from Wade," she admitted. She pulled Shego toward the front of the cell and pushed her to the other side of the energy barrier, while she remained behind it, and Shego was amazed to see from this side that it looked like what her cell was supposed to look like. There was no futon and no Kimmie, only a set of made-up bunk beds and some furniture scattered about. She poked her head through the barrier.

"This rocks, Pumpkin," she said in admiration.

"It gets better," Kim said proudly. She went over to the machine that Shego assumed was generating the field and pushed a few buttons. "Take a look now," she requested.

Shego pulled her head back to the other side of the barrier. She didn't notice any difference in her cell until she happened to take a look in the bunk beds. There she was, peacefully asleep in the top bunk. She nodded her head in admiration and then came back through the barrier. "That is brilliance, Princess," she said. "It actually looks like I am in here. Wade actually invented this?"

Kim nodded. "He's been working on it for a while," she confirmed. "He designed it because he wanted us to be able to be stealth when we needed to be. All you have to do is pre-record the scene that you want and play it back. The energy field creates the image and also soundproofs the area inside of it."

"It's soundproof too?" Shego asked. Kim nodded. Shego was impressed at the technology; this thing would have rocked back when she was a thief and even now it was also going to give them privacy in a place not known for such luxuries. "Wait a second, you said you needed a prerecorded image," Shego said suspiciously, the word "privacy" making her think of how Kim got her images.

Kim grinned and blushed. "The empty cell footage I got today," she said, hedging.

"And what about the footage where I am asleep in the top bunk?" Shego asked.

Kim blushed a little deeper. "Um, you can superimpose shots from photographs onto the film, and I might have taken a picture or two in Mexico," she admitted bashfully.

"Meaning you took pictures while I was sleeping," Shego said, which to her seemed reasonable. Thinking further, though, she paused and her brow contracted. "No, scratch that; that means you took pictures while I was sleeping _naked_," she said incredulously.

"Um, you can't tell you're naked on the projection," Kim said helpfully, not knowing if it mattered, but wanting to say something before she couldn't speak due to embarrassment. "And I uploaded it to the projector and configured it myself so that Wade wouldn't see."

Shego wasn't angry or worried that someone might see something; she was just flabbergasted-and, admittedly, a little flattered - that her supposedly sweet and innocent Kimmie was surreptitiously snapping photos of her in the buff. She crossed her arms and assumed a smirk, lifting an eyebrow at Kim. "The photos have a time and date stamp, right? Well, I guess we could give those shots to Zan to prove where we were," she said mischievously. "And we should probably add the ones I have on my cell phone to the mix." Kim's eyes widened as she realized the implications of that statement and Shego laughed. "I was bad long before you met me, Princess, so you're just a poser," she teased.

"Maybe," Kim admitted. She smiled at Shego, and unexpectedly launched herself at her, causing them both to fall back on the futon. She laughed as she pinned Shego beneath her. "But I am getting better at being bad," Kim pointed out. "I mean, I broke into a prison and smuggled in a futon and candles to spend the night with my girlfriend."

"Good point," Shego agreed. She glanced around at afore mentioned futon and candles. "Why aren't they lit?" she asked, referring to the candles.

"Well, I didn't have a match, and besides, I am pretty confident that I can make you light them," Kim said as she started to unzip Shego's orange jumpsuit.

"Oh," Shego answered, as Kim's skillful fingers moved underneath the bright orange fabric.


	9. Getting Away With It

A/N: So, this chapter ended up having fewer parts than I anticipated because a couple of parts got to be really long. But the parts that didn't make it into this one will be in the next one, and it will make that chapter longer, so it's a win, win situation, right? ;) I hope everyone likes it.

Chapter 9 – Getting Away With It

Middleton County Lockup – About 5AM

The guard looked at his monitor and yawned. The prison was still and quiet as it tended to be at this time of day, and the guard was bored. He looked with semi-interest as the camera panned over the Shego's cell, but even the cell of the most notorious criminal in the place offered no kind of excitement, for she was asleep in the top bunk as she had been since she came back to her cell last night. Yawning once again, he grabbed his coffee and returned his attention to his magazine.

Meanwhile, within the very same cell, the reality of what was behind the bars would have probably generated much more excitement had it actually been visible. The prisoner was not in the top bunk; rather she was in a futon on the floor of the cell surrounded by smoldering candles while being possessively cuddled by a redhead who was in the same state of complete undress as she was.

The redhead's watch/communication device let out a peep to signal that five o' clock had arrived, causing Kim to sigh. She was already awake, and she knew she had to get out of here or they were going to get caught, but she still didn't want to go. Shego was still asleep and deeply so, and Kim smiled, using her forefinger to gently trace facial features that looked downright angelic when Shego was this asleep. Kim had discovered in Mexico that she loved watching Shego sleep; there was a non-sarcastic innocence about her when she was asleep that Kim found irresistible. It was an image that she wanted to keep forever, and it led her to do something she would have never thought she would do: photograph someone else in the nude.

She hadn't ever planned on breaking into a prison to spend an ill-advised night with a lover that would probably be freed within the month, either, but here she was. Granted, she had never really expected for anyone she was involved with to be incarcerated for anything, so breaking into a prison had never really crossed her mind, but even when the unexpected situation had presented itself, Kim hadn't hesitated but had started making plans to join her, even though she knew it was seriously against the rules.

Kim's fingers continue to wander as her thoughts went on their own meandering path. Shego's skin, whether due to the comet strike or genetics was smooth and soft, and Kim had almost become addicted to touching it. It was part of the reason she was here, but it wasn't all of it. Desire alone wasn't enough to make Kim break the rules as egregiously as she was. Her fingers paused as her mind came to a startling, yet not really that unexpected revelation. She knew Shego brought out her bad side, but it was only now that she realized why. She was in love, and she knew that, duh, but only now did she realize how deep it went, and she realized wryly that it was probably a good thing Shego was good now. She would do literally anything for Shego, rules or disapproval be damned. Well, maybe darned; she still didn't like to cuss.

Kim smiled and her fingers restarted their movement. In her sleep, Shego mumbled something and pulled her closer. Kim's smile grew deeper; Shego had the endearing tendency to do that, like she always wanted Kim to be as close as possible, like she was afraid Kim would run away in the night. Kim knew it wasn't a lack of trust that made Shego to reach out; it was her absolute trust that Kim would be there that allowed her to show that kind of sentiment. That kind of trust humbled Kim, and she never wanted to betray it, especially when Shego had given up so much for her.

"Sweetheart," Kim said softly, gently rubbing Shego's back to get her to wake up.

"Wha?" Shego mumbled, not even a tiny bit interested in getting up.

"Sweetie," Kim persisted, her voice coaxing. "We have to get up and put everything back before the guard comes around to wake you up."

Shego woke up a bit more and flipped over, smiling when Kim's face came into view. "Morning, Princess," she said, kissing her.

"Morning, Junior," Kim replied, kissing her back. When they parted, Kim got up and Shego scowled. "Quit pouting and help me," Kim ordered good-naturedly. Shego sighed but got up anyway. She gathered up her unused pajamas and put them on before gathering up the candles and placing them by the backpack that Kim had stashed in the corner. "Thanks, sweetie," Kim said, and after she had gotten dressed herself, dug a remote control out the backpack and pushed a button, causing the futon to fold itself up into box about the size of a notebook. Kim slipped the futon into her backpack and took out the box for the candles, making sure they were all out before she put them back in their box and put the box back in the backpack. With the futon and the candles gone, the furniture could go back where it belonged, and it did, and after the bunk bed was unfolded, the cell looked exactly like it had before Kim had redecorated. Shego begrudgingly climbed into the top bunk. Kim climbed up after her. "I'll see you soon, Shego," she said and kissed her before she jumped down.

Shego jumped down after her. "Thanks for last night, Pumpkin," she said, gathering Kim up and kissing her. "You went through a lot of trouble and you could've gotten into a lot of trouble for me."

Kim smiled. "I'd do anything for you," she answered fondly. "That's why I've been in trouble from the moment I met you," she joked. Shego chuckled and climbed back into the top bunk. Kim activated her Kimmunicator. "Wade, I need you to take over the cameras now, please and thank you," she requested quietly. Wade tapped a few keys and gave her the thumbs up. Kim nodded and cut off the call before deactivating the energy field and putting the projector away. She looked around carefully, making sure that no guards were coming up the hallway before she produced her key and unlocked the cell door. She slipped out, shutting and locking the door behind her. Shego watched her disappear and then lapsed into thought, her mind happily dwelling on last night and the morning that followed. The "I'd do anything for you" was especially thought provoking.

She had almost drifted back to sleep when the guard came around for the morning wakeup call. "Goshen!" the guard bellowed.

"I'm awake!" Shego yelled back, glaring down from the top bunk to prove her point.

The guard looked at her suspiciously. True, her prisoner was dressed and everything appeared to be normal, but the guard did note that the furniture was slightly out of place, her prisoner was far happier this morning than she had been yesterday morning and, quite inexplicably, the air smelled of burnt-down candles and, unless she missed her guess, sex. Even the night shift buffoons couldn't have missed something as obvious as two women in a cell that should have only had one, so somehow the prisoner and her visitor had managed to thwart detection. The guard smirked and shook her head. "I don't want to know how she managed it, but tell your girlfriend that I am impressed. And warn her that now I know she likes the place so much, I'll be looking to make her a permanent resident," she told Shego.

Shego smirked back unrepentantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, with a grin. "But I might pass along the information."

"See that you do," the guard responded. "And you had better get up and get dressed. Your lawyer phoned and she is on her way."

"Would it be possible to get a shower?" Shego asked, figuring that smelling like Kimmie might have been one of the tip offs that she had company last night.

"You spend the night breaking the rules and now you want privileges?" the guard asked incredulously.

"Um, please?" Shego asked, and busted out the puppy dog pout.

The guard sighed. "All right," she grumped. Shego grinned. The damn thing worked like a charm.

Shego cleaned up, got dressed and was waiting in the holding cell when Zan came bustling into the room. "Where's Kimmie?" Shego asked innocently.

"Well, my niece didn't come home last night, so Ann and I thought it would be fitting punishment if she stayed in school today," Zan replied, fixing Shego with an admonishing glare.

"What?" Shego challenged. "I'm in jail; how in the hell could she have been with me last night?"

"That's a very good question, but I wager she managed to somehow, because not only do we have our evidence, your guard was nice enough to inform me of her suspicions that you had a visitor last night," Zan countered. Shego had the good grace to look sheepish, and Zan chuckled. "At least I can be thankful that you stayed behind bars," she teased. "Anyway, the judge came back with her decision a little earlier than I expected, and we need to be in court in an hour. You still have your street clothes, right? Otherwise, you are going to court in your orange PJs."

"Yeah, they're back in my cell," Shego confirmed.

"Excellent," Zan said crisply. She popped her head out the door and called the guard over. They talked for a second and Zan came back into the room. "She's grabbing them for you," she said, and sure enough, about two minutes later the guard came back with the bag that Shego had hastily discarded last night. "Thanks," Zan said, before handing the bag to Shego. "Your transport will be here in five minutes. Get changed and I'll meet you at the courthouse," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Shego saluted. Kim's bossiness came from that side of the family apparently.

"No sass," Zan said curtly, gathering up her briefcase and giving Shego a smile as she left the room.

The guard gave Shego a couple of minutes to change before she hustled her out of the room and out to the prisoner transfer area. Shego got into the police car and they drove into town. Shego fidgeted the whole way; she was anxious for this whole thing to be done, and what should have been about a fifteen-minute drive to town felt like it was taking fifteen hours. They finally got to the courthouse and Zan was there to meet her. They went into the courtroom together and waited for Judge Lisitor at the defendant's table, and in due time, she came in from her chambers.

"After a careful consideration of the evidence, the motion to dismiss is denied," the judge informed them. "This case is more complex than either side is willing to admit to, and thus neither a single eyewitness to the crime nor a single eyewitness to the contrary is enough to definitively state one or the other whether this crime actually occurred, because the arguments for both sides directly contradict one another. In other words, someone is lying, and a trial is necessary to figure out who that is."

Shego scowled and sighed. Zan wanted to, but years of keeping a courtroom poker face allowed her to just look thoughtful. "Your Honor, may I have a brief recess to confer with my client?" she asked.

"Certainly," the judge answered. "Court will recess for fifteen minutes."

Zan nodded and gathered up her papers. The bailiff escorted Shego to a side room and Zan followed. "Son of a bitch!" Shego cursed as soon as he left. "Why won't anyone believe that I wasn't even in the fucking country when Nina broke into my house?" she asked, exasperated.

"The judge doesn't know who to believe," Zan replied. "She wants to see who is the more convincing witness and who is just lying through their teeth, and she wants the jury to do the same."

Shego snorted. "What's the fastest way to get this over without pleading guilty?" she asked. "I am so done with all of this bullshit."

"Well, don't waive your right to speedy trial for one," Zan replied. "And things move faster if you don't seat a jury. But if you don't seat a jury, you are at the mercy of the judge; there will be a verdict because a hung-jury mistrial is impossible."

"All right," Shego answered. "Keep my speedy trial but get rid of the jury."

"As your lawyer, I would have to advise against that," Zan said. "Speedy trials give you less time to prepare and again, it's you and the judge."

"Don't care," Shego said simply. "When we win, I can get back to my life."

"Meaning my niece," Zan guessed wryly.

"Yup," Shego confirmed. The bailiff opened the door. "After you, counselor," she said.

Zan shook her head and they went back into the courtroom. The judge came back into the courtroom and Zan let Shego's wishes be known. "My client wishes to waive her right to a trial by a jury of her peers, Your Honor," Zan said, causing both the judge and the prosecutor to look shocked.

"Does the defendant confirm these are her wishes?" the judge asked Shego.

"They are, Your Honor," Shego replied.

"Very well," the judge said. "Does the defendant wish to waive anything else?"

"No, Your Honor," Zan replied.

"In that case, the trial will be set for one week from today," the judge said. "I will expect you all back in my courtroom then." She pounded the gavel and got up, causing everyone in the courtroom to rise. She left and everyone started milling about, chattering in low voices because everyone excluding Zan and Shego was surprised at the turn of events. The bailiff came for Shego, and after a promise from Zan that she would be at the lockup tomorrow, Shego was escorted back to the transport and back to jail.

The week that followed turned out to be a never-ending strategy session for Shego's defense, and sleep was hard commodity to come by for Zan, Shego and Kim. The first item on the agenda was fashioning the witness list. Since their whole defense rested on the supposition that Shego wasn't even in the country when the alleged attack occurred, Zan subpoenaed the people who could back up that supposition, namely Kim, Sergio and Shego. She also included Dr. Ann Possible and Mr. Archibald Goshen IV so that they would have well-respected members of society to back up the word of a teenager, a foreigner, and an ex-convict. It was sad that she had to have backup, because the truth should be the truth no matter where it came from, but the law didn't see it that way sometimes. And her client's past, although technically not admissible in court, was bound to come up, as was Kim's youth and Sergio's nationality.

The next item that had to be taken care of was getting Sergio to the United States, and Zan hoped the State Department would be able to give them some sort of temporary visa to allow Sergio to come testify. She made a few phone calls, but disappointingly, they told her the earliest that they could allow him to enter the country would be three months from now. Not really surprised, Zan had Kim serve him with a subpoena anyway, figuring if he was on the witness list and needed to be in United States for trial, Judge Lisitor might pull a few strings and find a way to get him there. As it turned out, no string pulling was necessary, because, as Kim found out when she delivered the subpoena to his restaurant in Mexico, Sergio was actually an American citizen with dual citizenship, so all he had to do was dust off his passport and board the hovercraft.

Her witnesses set, Zan could now turn her focus to the prosecution's star witness. There had to be a way to discredit her, or if not discredit _her_, at least discredit her testimony. A background check proved to be of little help. Her record was spotless, and her history was nothing but annoyingly inspirational. She was born in to a poor family, but with intelligence and tenacity had risen above her humble roots and obtained a scholarship to an exclusive private school in Go City, where she had excelled both academically and athletically, becoming valedictorian of her class and captain of the cheerleading squad. College had followed and four years later, she had graduated with honors with a double major, earning a bachelor's in child development and in accounting. She had worked as an accountant for a leading non-profit organization before citing a need for change, at which point she had come to Middleton and started teaching at Middleton High. "Damn it," Zan swore. The only way to cast doubt on her testimony would be to paint her as the jilted ex-girlfriend who was after revenge, but after looking at her statement, it really didn't seem like that was what Nina was and Zan didn't want to make her into something she wasn't. After puzzling over it for a while, Zan decided to leave her be; maybe something else would come up that she could exploit.

Things were going smoothly, if hurriedly, and Zan was feeling fairly confident as the opening date for the trial came closer. The only problem they encountered was an unexpected subpoena delivered to one of the last people they expected to get called as a witness for the prosecution.

"But I don't wanna testify against SG!" Ron protested as he showed Kim and Zan his official court document.

"And I really have no idea why they would want to call you," Zan admitted. "Unless…they might be trying to establish that she has a history of violence or something like that. Has she ever specifically been violent toward you?"

"No, not really," Ron replied. "I mean, even back when she was evil, she pretty much ignored me and went straight for KP. I usually got stuck with Drakken."

"My best guess is that they want to bring up Shego's past, and you are the perfect witness for that," Zan decided. "You were there for all of it, yet you are not romantically involved with her, so that's not going to cloud your judgment, and you might bear a grudge toward her because she stole your girlfriend."

"But I don't care about that anymore," Ron disagreed.

"But they don't know that," Zan countered. "So I would expect questions about what happened when she was evil and how you felt when Kim dumped you." The look on Ron's face said he disliked the twin prospects of such questions and testifying against Shego, but he nodded.

With that problem at least discussed and a tentative plan in place, Zan at last felt ready for the trial. She had always shared Shego's confidence that they would win, but now everything was coming nicely into place to assure them of the victory. The only thing that could muck it up was Kim getting caught in Shego's cell, but Kim was skillful enough not to get caught and she kept getting away with it, meaning they made it to the start date of the trial in good shape.

Middleton Superior Court – Tuesday Morning

"The Court will now come to order, the Honorable Sally Lisitor presiding," the bailiff called out, causing everyone to rise. The judge came in and sat down, causing everyone else to follow suit. "I will now hear opening arguments the matter of the People vs. Sheila Miriam Goshen. The prosecution has the burden of proof, so the People may go first."

"Thank you, Your Honor," the prosecutor said. He automatically turned himself toward the jury box, but quickly realized his mistake and rotated back toward the judge. "Your honor, the people intend to prove that on the night of December 31st, the defendant did maliciously attack Ms. Nina Johnson with the intent of murdering her. As a career criminal with a history of excessive violence, it was only a matter of time before her violent ways caused injury to an innocent bystander. We will demonstrate her long history of violence in order to explain her pattern to the court, and then we will allow the victim to speak for herself. It is time for this threat to society to be put behind bars once and for all so that this does not happen to another innocent person."

"Does the defense wish to make a statement?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," Zan replied, standing up. "The prosecution has already attempted to bring up my client's past," she began, "and my client freely admits that for many years she was on the wrong side of the law. However, her past has absolutely no bearing on this current prosecution, because the plain truth is that my client was not in Middleton on the night of the alleged attack, nor was she even in the contiguous United States. She was vacationing in Mexico with her girlfriend, a fact that does not change regardless of how many times she has been arrested before. The prosecution's case has no merit, Your Honor, and we intend to prove that."

There was a low murmur from the galley. Some of the buzz was intrigue; the mention of a girlfriend piqued the interest of the more gossip-minded among the spectators. The rest was approval; a good portion of the people in the galley were on the defense's side, and they included Shego's mom, her brothers, Mr. Dr. Possible, Lindsay, Monique, Kim's grandma Nancy, her great aunt Pandora and her great-grandma Francis. Kim, Ron, Archie and Ann would have been there too, of course, but court rules dictated they had to sit out in hallway until they were called into the courtroom. They also couldn't talk to one another, at least about the case.

Judge Lisitor banged her gavel. "That's enough, people," she ordered, and the crowd simmered down. She looked at Zan. "Does the Defense wish to continue with their statement?" she asked

"No, your honor," Zan replied. "We have said what we wanted to."

The judge looked surprised; those had been the shortest opening statements she had ever witnessed. "Very well," she said, pleased that they were getting underway so quickly. "The people may call their first witness."

"The people call Lieutenant Christina Worley of the Middleton Police Department," the prosecutor said.

The Lieutenant got up from the galley, strode toward the witness box and sat down. After swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, she waited for the prosecutor to ask his first question. "So, Lieutenant, you were the one responsible for constructing the case against the defendant, where you not?"

"I was," the Lieutenant confirmed.

"And could you please go through the series of events leading up to her arrest?" he requested.

"911 received a call from 1904 Carlson Lane about 11:35PM informing them that medical assistance was required at that address," the Lieutenant began.

"And that would be the address of the residence popularly known as the Middleton Mansion, correct?" the prosecutor clarified.

"Yes," the Lieutenant said. "Paramedics arrived on the scene to find the victim, Ms. Nina Johnson, unconscious on the floor. Her vital signs were good, but attempts to revive her failed. She was taken to Middleton General and admitted. After two days, she came out of her coma and gave a description of the person that attacked her."

"And what was that description?" the prosecutor prompted.

"A female about five feet, six inches tall with waist-long black hair done up in a braid and green eyes."

"Could she identify her attacker?" the prosecutor asked.

"She could," the Lieutenant affirmed. "She had been in a prior relationship with this person and was easily able to identify her."

"And is the person in the courtroom?" the prosecutor asked triumphantly.

"She is sitting over there," the Lieutenant said, pointing at Shego.

"Let the record show that the witness indicated the defendant," the prosecutor declared. "Have you ever had incidents in the past with the defendant?" he asked, switching gears.

"Yes," the Lieutenant replied. "I attempted to arrest her for robbery a few months back, and she attacked me without provocation."

"No further questions, Your Honor," the prosecution said, sitting down.

Zan stood up. "I find it interesting that you mention an attack but then give us no details. Did you come to bodily harm? And, Lieutenant, was my client arrested for it?" she asked.

"No, I was not harmed and the district attorney declined to press charges," the Lieutenant replied sourly.

"And the crime that you were attempting to arrest her for, what happened to that charge?" Zan asked.

"Another party was found to have been guilty of it," the Lieutenant admitted.

"I see," Zan commented. "Just one more question, Lieutenant, was the victim able to describe her attacker's skin color?" she asked.

The Lieutenant blinked. She obviously was not expecting that question. "She didn't mention it," she said hesitantly.

"She didn't mention it, yet one of the most striking things about the defendant is her pale green skin," Zan pointed out.

"Maybe she didn't think about it," the Lieutenant offered.

"Or maybe the person who attacked her wasn't green," Zan countered. "No more questions, Your Honor."

"You may step down," Judge Lisitor said. When she had, she addressed the prosecutor. "Call your next witness, Counselor."

"The People call Ronald Jonathan Stoppable," the prosecutor replied. Ron, who had been escorted from the hallway into the galley stood up from where he was sitting by Lindsay and made his way up to the witness stand. He was sworn in and then he sat down, his apprehension at being on the witness stand apparent the way he kept fidgeting around in his seat. "Mr. Stoppable," the prosecutor began, "what is your relationship to the defendant?"

"Um, she's my best friend's girlfriend?" Ron answered, not knowing if that was what he was after or he wanted something more specific.

That seemed to be what he wanted because he asked another question. "And who is your best friend, young man?" he asked.

"Kim Possible," Ron said, and another twitter went through the courtroom as the identity of the opening statement girlfriend was revealed to those who did not already know it.

"And just to clarify, the defendant and Ms. Possible are in a romantic relationship?" the prosecutor clarified.

"Um, yeah," Ron replied, really unsure of where he was going with this.

"And prior to the defendant becoming involved with your best friend, how did you know the defendant?" the prosecution asked.

"Kim and I would fight her from time to time when Drakken was pulling something or the other," Ron stated.

"That would be Dr. Drakken, aka Dr. Drew Lipsky, who is now serving time in the federal justice system for attempting to take over the world?" the prosecutor asked.

"Um, yeah," Ron said.

"Mr. Stoppable, when was the last time you saw Dr. Drakken?" the prosecutor asked unexpectedly.

"When his mom tricked us into falling into a trap trap at their hideout," Ron replied cheerfully.

"And during this adventure, did the defendant ever try to harm you physically?" the prosecution asked interestedly.

Ron looked over at Zan in a mild panic and Shego rolled her eyes, figuring it was her luck that Drakken had ratted out that little incident to the cops. "No, at least not that I can remember," he said truthfully.

That answer stunned the prosecutor, who was expecting a "yes" and whose whole line of questioning was designed to elicit a "yes". He took a second to regroup before asking another question. "Are you sure, Mr. Stoppable?" he persisted.

"Yup," Ron replied amiably. "I had an amnesia chip thingy in my head at the time and I can't remember a thing after we got into the building."

The prosecutor frowned and consulted his notes before trying a different line of questioning. "Mr. Stoppable, when the defendant was still an employee of Dr. Drakken, did she ever try to harm you physically?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope," Ron replied without hesitation. "Shego would always go for Kim and I got stuck with Drakken. There was even the one time where I lost a library book and I ran into her on my own, and the first thing she asked me was 'Where's Possible?'. So, no, she never tried to hurt me, even when she was evil."

The prosecutor looked at Ron with a slightly dumbfounded look on his face. Ron quite clearly was not the witness he hoped that he would be. "Um, no further questions, Your Honor," he said quietly.

Zan stood up, barely able to keep the grin off her face. "Mr. Stoppable, in the incident that People brought up, the one that you are unable to remember, can you remember why my client was there?" she asked.

"Um, because we were going to stop Drakken and she was a part of the team?" Ron answered.

"So, she was no longer on his side but yours," Zan clarified.

"Yup," Ron confirmed.

"Thank you, Mr. Stoppable, I have no further questions," Zan said and sat down.

"You may be excused, Mr. Stoppable," the judge said. "Call your next witness, please."

"The People call Ms. Nina Johnson to the stand," the prosecutor responded, and the galley held its collective breath as she went up to the witness stand. Nina went up to the witness stand, and Shego almost felt sorry for her. She seemed so defeated, even though this was supposed to be her moment of triumph. She quietly answered "yes" when the bailiff swore her in, and she sat waiting pensively for the prosecutor's first question. "Ms. Johnson," he asked. "How do you know the defendant?"

"We were lovers in high school," Nina responded. Shego's eyebrow arched; well, nothing like getting everything out in the open, she supposed.

"And what was the result of that relationship?" the prosecutor prompted.

"We broke up near the end of my senior year," Nina admitted.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I couldn't reconcile the life I wanted to have with what I felt for her," Nina said honestly. "My life was planned out; I knew what my future was, and I didn't know if being involved with her would jeopardize it. I wasn't ready to take that chance."

Shego looked at Nina in the witness stand, her face unreadable. Here, at last, was the truth. Nina had thought Shego might hold her back, even though Shego had unlimited financial resources and would have done literally anything for Nina. What a stupid supposition, Shego thought, and it also made the difference between Nina and Kim startlingly clear. Nina had dropped her because she didn't fit into her life. She didn't fit into Kim's either, but Kim had just grabbed her by the catsuit and dragged her along for the ride anyway, making both Shego and her own life conform to what she wanted them to be because she wanted it all and damn it, she was going to have it all. Shego smiled; damn, she loved her bossy princess. She turned her mind back to the testimony just in time to hear Nina describing how she had been kicked out their dorm room when they had broken up.

"Was that the last time you saw the defendant?" the prosecutor asked as a follow up.

"I saw her here and there at school until I graduated and then I didn't see her until a few months ago," Nina answered. "I realized I had made a terrible mistake in high school, and when I found out she was living here on permanent basis, I moved here to see if I could win her back."

"And how did that turn out?" the prosecutor questioned.

"She was already involved with Ms. Possible, and from what I could gather, happily so," Nina admitted. "I tried to do what I could to get back into her life, but everything I did was all pretty futile. I decided to try one last time on New Year's Eve and then I was going to give up."

"And what happened that night, Ms. Johnson?" the prosecutor asked.

"I went to the Middleton Mansion about ten to have a talk with her, but she didn't seem to be home," Nina described. "I rang the doorbell, but nobody answered. When I knocked, though, the door swung open. I went in, but nobody was there, and it seemed to be really cold. I called out to see if anyone would answer, and Sheila suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She looked at me, almost as if she pitied me."

"Did she say anything?" the prosecutor inquired.

"She said that I should leave there because I was holding on to an impossible dream and the one I was waiting for no longer waited for me," Nina related. "I asked her when she had given up on me, and she laughed. 'I never loved you,' she said, and her tone was cruel, almost mocking. 'You have me mistaken for someone else.' She turned to walk away, and I guess I just lost it. I yelled at her, begging her to remember all that we had been to each other and somehow that made her angry. The last thing I remember was her hand around my throat."

"Thank you, Ms. Johnson," the prosecutor said. "Your witness," he told Zan.

"Ms. Johnson, when Shego kicked you out of your dorm room when you broke up, was she violent?" Zan asked.

"No," Nina replied.

"Was she ever violent toward you during any time in your relationship?" Zan further inquired.

"No," Nina admitted.

"One last question, Ms. Johnson," Zan promised. "If you can remember, what was the skin color of your attacker?" Nina looked at her blankly. "The person who attacked you by your own admission, told you that you were mistaken in her identity. Did she have my client's green skin? Because if she didn't, she is probably correct and you have the wrong person."

Nina thought. "I don't remember," she said at last, her face thoughtful.

"Well, thank you for trying," Zan said sincerely. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."

"Very well," Judge Lisitor said. "We will take an hour recess for lunch and reconvene at one." She pounded her gavel, rose and left the courtroom.

The bailiff came to get Shego and he escorted her into adjoining holding room. The rest of the galley disbanded and everyone made a run for food. Zan grabbed a bite for her and Shego before heading back to the holding room herself. They talked and ate, going over the last few details of their defense. They expected the prosecutor to rest when he got back to the courtroom; there were no other witnesses on his list, and there didn't seem to be anyone else he could or would call to the witness stand. After they all got back into the courtroom, that is exactly what he did, and Zan was free to call her first witness. "The Defense calls Kimberly Possible to the stand," she said.

Kim stood up and walked to the witness stand, flashing Shego a small smile as she passed. Shego winked, and Kim colored just a little as she took her seat and was sworn in.

"Ms. Possible, what is your relationship to the defendant?" Zan asked.

"Shego is my girlfriend," Kim replied.

"And how long have you been in a romantic relationship with the defendant?" Zan inquired.

"Since September of last year," Kim answered.

"Ms. Possible, are you able to tell the court where Ms. Goshen was on December 31st, the night of the alleged attack?" Zan prompted.

"Yes," Kim stated. "She and I were vacationing in Mexico over New Year's, and we returned to the cabin about 10:30PM and did not leave it until the next morning."

"And you were with her the whole time?" Zan persisted.

"Yes," Kim answered.

"Thank you, Ms. Possible. No further questions," Zan concluded.

The prosecutor got up. "Ms. Possible, did you have any sort of dealings with the defendant before the two of you became romantically involved?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," Kim answered. "She worked for a mad scientist that I would have to thwart from time to time."

"That would be Drakken, aka Drew Lipsky, correct?" the prosecutor clarified.

"Yes," Kim said.

"And when you would go after this Drakken, did she ever physically try to harm you?" the prosecutor asked, slight triumph in his tone.

Kim smiled. "Of course," she said cheerfully, surprising the prosecutor; he had been expecting her to try to deny it or be ashamed of it. "But that was what we did back then, I was the hero, she was the villain, and our roles dictated that we had to fight. We haven't fought like that since August."

"And what happened in August?" the prosecutor asked.

"We had to go on a mission together," Kim replied. "We've been friends ever since and we don't fight like that anymore."

"Hm," the prosecutor said before he veered into his second attack. "That is a very interesting necklace you have on," he noticed. "Where did you get it?"

"Objection!" Zan called out. "Relevance."

"It goes toward the reliability of the witness, Your Honor," he explained.

"Overruled," the Judge said. "Please answer the question."

"It was a gift from Shego," Kim said.

"And where did she get it?" he continued.

"It was part of her inheritance from her great-great aunt," Kim said.

The prosecutor frowned. "But isn't it true, Ms. Possible, that the piece around your neck used to be in the Field Museum in Chicago until it was stolen?" he challenged.

"It wasn't stolen," Kim disagreed. "Shego's mother loaned it to the Museum until Shego was old enough to be responsible for it. Shego asked for it back and the Museum had to relinquish possession."

"And according the court transcripts, this transfer of possession should have happened in November," the prosecutor told her, reading from his notes. "But how long have you had it, Ms. Possible?"

"Since Christmas," Kim said promptly, unperturbed at his insinuation.

The look of surprise on his face was brief, but it was there, and Shego had to settle for a smirk instead of the full-blown guffaw she wanted to have. Kim wasn't lying; sure, maybe she was using selective facts to her own advantage, but it was true that she had gotten the amulet back at Christmas. "If she can do this kind of on-the-fly fact manipulation in open court, I hope we don't argue much or I may be screwed," Shego thought idly.

"But the Museum reported it missing in August, Ms. Possible, which coincidentally was the same time you two became friends," the prosecutor pointed out. "What happened to it during all those months?"

"I'm sorry, but, in the interest of international security, I can't answer your question," Kim said.

"How convenient," the prosecutor observed, but didn't press it further. "One last set of questions, Ms. Possible, during your vacation to Mexico was there any time that the Defendant was out of your sight?"

"Sometimes in the afternoon, yes, she was," Kim answered. "I would go swimming and she would fall asleep on the beach."

"Were there any times at night?" he pressed.

"No," Kim said and fought to keep her blush down. "We were always together after we got home from dinner."

"How about when you slept, Ms. Possible? Isn't it possible she could have been out of your sight then?" he asked.

"Well, sure, she was out of my sight, but we slept in the same bed, and since I apparently like to cuddle, it would have been really difficult for her to leave without waking me up," Kim said pragmatically, her discomfort at revealing intimate details losing out to wanting to shoot down the prosecutor's argument with a fiery verbal cannonball.

"Thank you, Ms. Possible," the prosecutor said. He wanted to ask about the incident with Ron, the one where Drakken had claimed Shego had hit Ron over the head, the same one he had tried to guide Ron to admit to, but if Kim was this clever with something he thought was clear cut, there was no way she would give the court any condemning information if he asked about that. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."

"You may step down," Judge Lisitor said. Kim nodded and relinquished the seat.

"The Defense would like to call Mr. Sergio Garcia to the stand," Zan said. Sergio came to the witness box and was sworn in, and Zan got right to the point. "Mr. Garcia, where is your residence and place of business?" she asked.

"I own a small restaurant in the state of Jalisco in Mexico and I live there as well," he said.

"And did you remember seeing the defendant any time on our around December 31st of last year?" Zan continued.

"Yes, she and her lady were in my restaurant every day from Saturday the 26th until Friday the 2nd," Sergio replied.

"And when would they be in your restaurant?" Zan questioned.

"They would arrive between 5:30 and 6:00PM and leave sometime between 10 and 11PM," Sergio replied.

"And they did this every day?" Zan clarified.

"Every day," Sergio confirmed.

"Thank you, Mr. Garcia," she thanked him. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."

The prosecutor consulted his notes. "So you are telling us, Mr. Garcia, that they would spend _five_ hours a night in your restaurant?" the prosecutor asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sergio replied. "From what I could see, those two ladies would talk forever if given the opportunity. And they were always ravenous by the time they made it to my place, so they would eat all of my food. That took some time, too."

"Would you say the defendant is a good customer?" the prosecution asked.

"When she's around, sure," Sergio replied.

"Would your business falter if she wasn't around?" the prosecutor continued.

"No," Sergio said, shaking his head. "The restaurant is my hobby, so I don't care of it makes money or not."

"And where does your money come from?" the prosecutor asked interestedly. "A wealthy benefactor perhaps?"

"No, my money comes from my mom's divorce settlement," Sergio informed him. "My father is one of the richest men in the world and when they divorced, she got half of his wealth and me. He got the other half and my brother."

That stopped that line of questioning cold. "Thank you, Mr. Garcia," the prosecutor said. "I have nothing further for this witness."

The judge excused Sergio and Zan called her penultimate witness. Of the two parents she had on the witness list, Ann was the better pick because she would have other, new information to add to the evidence. "I call Dr. Ann Possible to the stand," she said. Her cousin got up from the galley and sat in the witness box, seating herself after she had been sworn in. Shego saw the judge do a slight double take; as daughters of identical twin sisters, they looked a lot alike, and the judge must have noticed the resemblance. Either that, or she thought Mrs. Dr. P's lab coat was especially fetching.

"Dr. Possible," Zan began. "Do you know the whereabouts of your daughter, Kimberly Possible, on the night of December 31st of last year?"

"She was in Mexico with her girlfriend," Ann replied.

"And her girlfriend is the defendant, Sheila Goshen, correct?" Zan asked, even though she knew the court had to know it by now.

"Yes," Ann replied.

"And how did you know that Kim was in Mexico?" Zan questioned further.

"She went to Chicago the day after Christmas to spend some time with Shego's family. She asked me before she left if it was okay for her to take Shego to Mexico over New Year's and I said yes. After they had left Shego's parents, we got a phone call from Lottie and Archie Goshen saying they had left and were on their way to Mexico," Ann replied. "We also got a call from Kim on New Year's Day and she mentioned that they were down there."

"One more question, Dr. Possible," Zan said. "And for this I appeal to your expertise as a neurosurgeon. A prior witness, a Mr. Ronald Stoppable, mentioned that at one point after an adventure with Shego he had an 'amnesia chip thingy' in his head. Is such a device possible?"

"Yes, it is," Ann said. "The chip that was implanted in Mr. Stoppable was a mind-control device capable of making him do whatever the person who was holding the controller wanted him to do. The secondary function of the device was to produce amnesia in the implantee so that they would have no recollection of what might have occurred while they were being mind controlled."

"And how do you know so much about the one found in Mr. Stoppable?" Zan inquired.

"I was working in the emergency room when he came in with it," Ann answered. "I was the one that removed it."

"Thank you, Dr. Possible," Zan thanked her. "I have no further questions."

"Good afternoon, Dr. Possible," the prosecutor greeted her. "I have just a couple of quick questions for you. Did you ever go to see the defendant and your daughter in Mexico?"

"No," Ann admitted.

"And you said that Kim asked you for permission to take her girlfriend on an unsupervised trip to a foreign country. What kind of teenager does that?" he asked dubiously.

"The kind that belongs to me," Ann retorted. "Besides, Kim is legally an adult, so she is asking more out of respect and courtesy than out of any real need for permission."

"I see," the prosecutor said. "Just one more question. When you removed the chip from Mr. Stoppable, what condition was he in when he was brought in?"

"He was unconscious," Ann answered.

"And do you know why he was unconscious?" the prosecutor asked.

"He had been hit on the head," Ann said.

"By whom?" the prosecutor pressed.

"I couldn't say for sure," Ann shrugged.

"I'm done with the witness, Your Honor," the prosecution said, knowing she had said all she was going to say on the matter.

"Next witness," Judge Lisitor said.

"The Defense calls the Defendant, Ms. Sheila Goshen to the stand," Zan declared. While they were at lunch, Shego had informed her, politely, yet emphatically, that she was only going to answer two questions. So, two questions were what Zan was going to ask. "Ms. Goshen, did you attack Ms. Nina Johnson on the night of December 31st?" was the first question.

"No," Shego replied firmly.

"And, Ms. Goshen, were you even in the vicinity of Middleton on the night of the attack?" was the second and final question.

"No," Shego answered. "I was in _Mexico_ with _Kimberly Ann Possible_, who is my _girlfriend_ and with whom I am having a _romantic_ relationship," she stated, making sure she covered all of the bases so she didn't have to answer any of those inane follow-up questions.

"Thank you, Ms. Goshen. I have nothing further for this witness, Your Honor," she said.

The judge's brow contracted in surprise; like the opening statements, she had never experienced such brief testimony from a defendant. "Do the People have any questions for the defendant?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," the prosecutor said. "Ms. Goshen, if you didn't attack the victim, then can you explain how she described someone who looks exactly like you?"

Shego shrugged. "I must have a doppelganger out there," she said nonchalantly.

"A theory that the defense has already put forth," the prosecutor observed. "Tell me, Ms. Goshen, would you happen to know who this look-alike is? She would have to be a relative of some sort. An evil twin, perhaps?"

Shego didn't answer, but looked at Zan. This was the one question that she had been dreading for the whole damn trial. She had no desire to lie under oath, but if she told the court that the ghost of her dead Nana had attacked Nina, she was going to bypass jail and go straight to the loony bin. She sighed and decided that the truth was best, even if it made her look like a fucking nutcase. "Yeah, I know who did it, and no, it wasn't my evil twin. It was my great-great Aunt Sheila Goshen. She looks exactly like me and she inhabits my house from time to time," Shego said.

"How can she look exactly like you?" the prosecutor challenged. "If she is your great-great aunt, she would have to be quite elderly and thus would look nothing like you."

Shego sighed. "Nana Sheila isn't elderly anymore; she's dead," she admitted.

The prosecutor stopped and stared at her. "You are trying to tell the court that a _ghost_ that looks exactly like you assaulted the victim," he clarified.

"Yup," Shego confirmed. "That's why my lawyer has been asking everyone what the attacker's skin color is. I'm green; she's white." The courtroom was dead silent. "Listen," she told everyone. "Let's think about this from my perspective; first off, why in the world would I want to be here in Middleton attacking a person I would honestly just rather forget, when I could be on a beautiful beach ringing in the New Year with the person I want to spend the rest of my life with? And second, why in the world would I tell you some crazy story about a ghost attacking her if it wasn't true? The only thing I would be accomplishing is making myself look nuts." No one said anything, not even the prosecutor. Shego sighed. She was so completely and utterly fucked.

The Ethereal Realm – Heaven Only Knows When

Mim and Sheila waited as they had been waiting for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. There was an unfamiliar silence between them; even when they hardly knew one another or were angry with each other, they could still carry on a conversation that would last for hours. Now, though, there was nothing to say, and the silence was a palpable presence that separated them. They hoped they were not to be separated; their brief separation assured them both that they preferred oblivion to the prospect of existing apart. They really had no desire to be damned for all eternity, either, but they had no defense for what they had done, so potential damnation was what was looming before them and was causing their silence. Mim at last made up her mind to speak; something had to be done about this melancholy. She got as far as opening her mouth when the wind swirled about them and they found themselves standing once again in front of the Overseers.

"Your judgment is at hand," the Female Overseer said, her words ominous though her tone was light.

"We figured as much," Sheila muttered.

"It has been decided by Ourselves and Others that you are guilty of tampering with beings and destinies that were not within your purview," the Female Overseer informed them. Mim and Sheila exchanged glances; this was neither shocking nor unanticipated information. "And, it is also Our decision that because of this unsanctioned alteration of others' lives, you are hereby to be cast out from this Place."

"If that is Your decision, then we will abide by it," Mim said quietly.

"Silence, Miriam," the Female Overseer rebuked. "I am not finished yet." Mim bowed her head in deference, but not before giving Sheila a questioning look. Sheila shrugged. "Though it was debated amongst Us whether your punishment be eternal damnation, it has been decided that you are to be confined to Purgatory until such time as full recompense is made to those whom you have wronged. So that recompense may take place, your place of Purgatory will be the realm of Earth, and while banished to it, you must assist those whose lives you have altered. These lives would include Sheila Miriam Goshen, Nina Elizabeth Johnson, Kimberly Ann Possible, Ronald Jonathan Stoppable, Lindsay Rosalind Woolsey and Bonnie Joanne Rockwaller. These were the predestined pairs whose lives you disrupted, and these pairs you must assist in their unplanned relationships and destinies."

Mim did not know if she was actually allowed to speak, but she need clarification and she was willing to speak out of turn for it. "Forgive me for the interruption," she said politely. "But if we are to assist in their new lives, does this mean we can leave the pairings as they are? Because we would prefer damnation to breaking them apart."

"So you have made clear before," the Female Overseer reminded her. "But yes, the couples will be allowed to remain as they are currently constituted, but you and Sheila must help them in this new destiny. And, you must help _all_ of them, even if you do not wish to help those you dislike."

"We understand," Mim said respectfully.

"There are three more things that you must know before you are sent from this Place," the Female Overseer said. "First, if you interfere with any other lives but the ones you are there to assist, immediate and eternal damnation will be your punishment. Second, in order to facilitate you in your quest to make amends, you will be allowed to roam over the face of all the Earth and will no longer be confined to your former place of residence. Third, and finally, if when these couples leave their mortality behind, it is determined that full recompense has been repaid, you will be allowed to return Here." Mim and Sheila looked at one another; it was bad to be banished from Paradise, sure, and it might be unpleasant having to do supportive things for two women who were instrumental in making the two young ladies they cared most about miserable, but as punishments went, it could have been far worse. At least there was the hope that they could return one day. "Now begone!" the Female Overseer ordered. "One life you have upended is already in need of your services." Mim and Sheila bowed their heads respectfully and disappeared.

"That punishment was not just," the Male Overseer declared unhappily. "Their punishment should have been far more severe for the egregious crimes they committed."

"They were banished from Paradise and separated from the Eternal," the Female Overseer disagreed. "That is severe enough."

"But it is not forever," the Male Overseer protested.

"They must be allowed to fulfill their destiny," the Female Overseer said. "They cannot do that if they are damned eternally." She smiled. "The power that lies in their amulet will keep the younger Goshen and Possible alive longer than the other four," she mused. "That in turn means that they will be the last to arrive, and since the elders should be able to return when all six have crossed over, they will soon follow. We shall both sets ascending on Us at practically the same time. And they shall be here for eternity." The Male Overseer thought about that briefly and grimaced before he disappeared.


	10. Tell It Like It 'Tis

A/N: So, I guess this is it: the last chapter in the last story of the trilogy. Thank you so much to everyone for reading, and I really do hope that everyone had as much fun with these 150,000 some-odd words as I did. 

Chapter 10 – Tell It Like It T-i-is

Shego looked out at the galley and sighed. Most of the people were staring back at her in disbelief and the ones who weren't, namely everyone she and Kim were either related to or friends with, were looking at her in dismay, and Shego couldn't tell whether they were annoyed that she had told truth or worried that because she had told the truth. The judge, ever professional and used to odd events and testimony after decades on the job, banged her gavel to get everyone to wake up. Everyone in the court room excepting Shego jumped, and Shego allowed herself a small smirk at their discomfort. "Do you have any more questions for this witness?" the judge asked, addressing the prosecutor.

The prosecutor gathered himself and answered. "No, Your Honor," he said smugly. "I think I've gotten all I could have from this witness."

Shego glared at him. If she hadn't been in court standing trial for assault and battery, she would have shown the smug bastard all he could have gotten from the witness. Zan stood up hurriedly, not liking the look on Shego's face. "Re-direct, Your Honor?" she requested, hoping that getting Shego to answer a few more questions might salvage the situation. The judge nodded. "Ms. Goshen, how long have you been in contact with the spirit that you claim attacked the victim?" she asked.

"Since August," Shego replied.

"And would this be about the same time you started working with your current girlfriend, Ms. Possible, correct?" Zan continued.

"Yes," Shego answered.

"So, has Ms. Possible ever seen any this spirit?" Zan inquired. 

Shego smirked. Zan was a damn good lawyer. "Um, yes, she has," Shego confirmed.

"And has anyone else seen this spirit?" Zan asked.

"Ron Stoppable, for sure, because she keeps insulting him," Shego said, thinking out loud. "And Wade Load, although he has only seen them through a video screen."

"Thank you, Ms. Goshen," Zan said. "I have no more questions, Your Honor."

"Would you like to re-cross, Counselor?" the judge asked the prosecutor.

The prosecutor shook his head. "I have no more questions for this witness, Your Honor," he reiterated.

"Very well," the judge answered. "You may step down," she told Shego. Shego nodded, stepped down and returned to her seat beside Zan.

Zan frowned as she stood up. She really had two choices: she could recall Kim and Ron to corroborate Shego's testimony or, seeing as Shego's admission didn't change the material fact that Shego had an alibi for her whereabouts on that night, she could do nothing and simply rest her case. After a moment's further thought, Zan decided to go with the second option. Kim was already Shego's alibi for the night of the attack. If Judge Lisitor didn't believe her testimony about that, there was no way in hell she was going to believe Kim's corroboration of a ghostly sighting, so there was no point in calling her anyway. "The defense rests, Your Honor," Zan declared, causing a murmur to ripple through the galley. Zan sat back down beside Shego. Shego looked at her questioningly and Zan shrugged. 

Shego nodded, happy with Zan's decision not to prolong this courtroom drama crap anymore than they had to. She looked up at the Judge Lisitor, who seemed on the verge of making some sort if proclamation, but quickly lost interest when a familiar telltale drop in temperature accompanied by a spike in the room energetics reverberated around her. "No fucking way," she thought. She leaned over to Zan. "We might have an unexpected witness in a few seconds," she said quietly. 

Zan looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Define 'unexpected'," she requested just as quietly. 

"Um, kinda dead?" Shego offered. The eyebrow inched up a little higher. "Yeah, I know, but I'm not kidding," Shego assured her, and at just that instant the galley gasped behind them, causing them both to turn. "Told ya," Shego muttered. Zan really didn't know whether to smirk or be scared out of her wits. On the one hand, it was gratifying to have the proof that would exonerate your client show up at the back of the courtroom. On the other hand, the proof was _floating_ at the back of the courtroom, resplendent in fashion from early in the last century.

Sheila took in the sight of dozens of faces looking at her in shock, and she smiled like a lion that had just spotted the evening's dinner lounging on the savannah. She was in her element; making mere peasants like those in the courtroom bend to her will she was something she had done all her life and death could do little to change that, because even though her natural haughtiness had waned a bit, due mainly to Mim's influence, she could still command a room; she had never forgotten her highborn station and she could call back her arrogance in an instant. She glided up to the front as every eye remained fixed on her, and she stopped just before she reached the barrier between the galley and the front of the courtroom. "Please forgive the intrusion, Your Honor," she said respectfully, noting the judge was one of the few people in the courtroom who did not seem afraid of her. "But I do believe I have testimony that is critical to the outcome of this case."

Judge Lisitor looked at her and then cracked a small grin. "Of that I have no doubt," she said sardonically. "On whose behalf would you like to speak?" she asked, even though that was fairly obvious. 

"The defense, if it pleases the court," Sheila said. 

"The court has no objection," the judge answered. "Counselors, any objections?"

Zan shook her head. "No, no objections, Your Honor," she said, a small bemused smile showing through.

"How about the People?" Judge Lisitor asked the prosecutor.

""Um, the People have no objection," the prosecutor said, frowning at Sheila as if he was trying to convince himself he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Sheila floated up to the witness stand and stood behind it. Zan stood up, shook her head, smiled briefly again and let her lawyer instincts take over. "Would you please state your full name for the court, along with your place and date of birth?" she requested.

Sheila looked at her and smirked. "My full name is Sheila Lilliane Goshen, although most people call me Lil," she said. "I was born in Cook County, Illinois, in the year Eighteen Hundred and Eighty Two."

"And when did you die?" Zan asked, just to emphasize that Sheila was in fact dead.

"April, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Seven," Sheila answered.

"What is your relationship to the defendant?" Zan inquired politely.

"Sheila, Junior, is my great grand-niece. Her great-grandfather was my younger brother," Sheila replied.

"I see," Zan commented. "So, Ms. Goshen, could you please tell us what happened on the night of December 31st?"

"Certainly," Sheila said. "As I believe Junior -pardon me, Sheila- might have mentioned, my wife and I used to live in the house she currently resides in, and if we are feeling bored in the afterlife, we can drop in from time to time just to see what our young ladies are up to. Being as it was New Year's Eve, I thought it a perfect opportunity to wish them well, but they were not in residence when I entered the Mansion. Instead, I found Miss Johnson prowling around the living room."

"And what did you do when you found Ms. Johnson in the living room?" Zan prompted.

"It was quite obvious that she was there in some sort of misbegotten attempt to win Sheila back, so I decided to tell her that her machinations were futile," Sheila explained. "But she not only mistook me for Sheila, she also took exception both to my advice and my correction of her mistaken 

identity. She grew quite agitated and raised her voice, at which point, I must confess, I grew rather angry myself, because there is only one who can chastise me in my own house. I never meant to harm her; I only wished to scare her so that she would leave my house and leave my great-grandniece alone."

"Thank you, Ms. Goshen," Zan said. "I have no further questions, Your Honor. Your witness," she told the prosecutor and sat down.

The prosecutor looked at Sheila and skepticism was written all over his face. He stepped up and asked his first question. "Forgive me, Ms. Goshen," he said. "But how exactly are we supposed to believe that you are who you claim to be? The defendant, the other Ms. Goshen, is a member and has been a member of world-renowned crime fighting teams that are known for their technological wizardry. How do we know that you are not a holographic projection that is being controlled by someone else?"

Sheila smiled. This dunderhead was not as obtuse as she had thought him to be. "That is an excellent question," she complimented him. "And the only way to answer it would be to bring up some hidden aspect of my life that a person of this generation would not know. Unfortunately that will be of little help, seeing as everyone who could vouch for my verity is also dead. So, I guess I will have to settle for this." She quirked an eyebrow, and within seconds, the temperature in the courtroom plummeted forty degrees.

"That's an interesting trick," the prosecutor allowed. "But you could also be controlling the thermostat."

"True," Sheila replied. "But the vents are still expelling heated air." The prosecutor, unable to help himself, went to check the heat register and frowned when he felt the warm air coming up from the floor. Sheila smiled.

The prosecutor snorted, and his visible breath billowed out in front of him. He ignored it and asked his next question. "I'm afraid I am not convinced, Ms. Goshen," he said mock-apologetically. "Do you have any other proof besides a well-performed magic trick?"

Sheila looked at him in amusement as the temperature in the courtroom started to return to normal. "Since a physical demonstration did not suffice, I suppose I must resort to spoken corroboration, even though, seeing as your family is involved, I would rather not," she said, her mock regret a counterpoint to his mock apology. "Although no one but your family knows it today, your family fortune was made by your great-grandfather Horace, a celebrated horse thief who from the age of thirty on walked with a profound limp after making the grave mistake of attempting to steal both Inspector Barkin's prize stallion and his daughter."

The prosecutor's eyes widened briefly before his face settled into a look of begrudging admiration. "Well played, Ms. Goshen," he admitted. Sheila smirked. "So, it does appear that you are who you claim you are," he said, tacitly conceding that she had been right about his family history. "But now how do we know that you are truly the one that committed the crime? You are already dead; you could confess to the crime, your great-grandniece could go free and it would be nearly impossible for us to do anything to you."

"It would not be 'nearly' impossible," Sheila disagreed. "It would be completely impossible, and that brings up a valid point; however, I can prove that it was I that attacked the young lady and not my great-grandniece."

"And how might you do that?" the prosecutor asked interestedly. 

Sheila smiled and disappeared, causing the courtroom to gasp. She reappeared moments later, this time standing in the galley, and instead of her formal green dress, hat, gloves and upswept hair, she was now dressed in her black slacks, boots, a button-down white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and her hair plaited into a braid. She approached Nina, who after the prosecution had rested, had stayed to watch the rest of the trial and was now sitting in the galley. Nina looked at her thoughtfully and glanced over at Shego before bringing her gaze back to Sheila. A look of comprehension came to her eyes, and she nodded. Sheila nodded back and came even closer, causing Nina to look around her in apprehension, hoping that Sheila wasn't going to reenact the crime. Unexpectedly, a warm, supportive hand ended up on her elbow, and Nina turned to see Lt. Worley of the Middleton P.D. offering her hand in support. Nina took it, and held on for dear life as Sheila advanced. Sheila halted, not wanting to scare her. "I mean you no harm," Sheila assured her. "I only wish to apologize for my actions. While not completely unwarranted, they did go far beyond what was necessary, and I do hope that you will forgive me for the wrong that I have done you." Nina, not letting go of the hand she was clutching, looked at her warily but nodded. Sheila smiled and returned to the stand, and Nina relaxed her grip, but she didn't exactly let go of the Lieutenant's hand. The Lieutenant, although stunned that her hand had seemingly moved to Nina's elbow of its own accord, had no objection to this turn of events and willingly kept Nina's hand loosely clasped in her own. Mim, unseen even though she was right beside them, grinned.

When Sheila had returned to her former place and had turned to face him, the prosecutor resumed his cross-examination. "That was a most convincing apology," he said, "especially from a person who probably does not like to give them. But I am afraid I would still like more proof."

Sheila quirked an eyebrow; apparently the prosecutor had missed the part where Nina had obviously recognized her. Either that or he was just being especially difficult. "There was another witness to the crime; you could ask her to corroborate my testimony," she offered. 

"Another witness?" the prosecutor questioned. "But the victim mentioned no other person in the house."

"Well, yes, my wife can be rather retiring at times, but she was present; the young lady simply did not see her," Sheila replied.

"And how exactly could the victim miss something as obvious as what I assume is another ghost?" he asked.

"The exact same way you can, apparently," Sheila said wryly. "My wife is standing right beside of you." The prosecutor jumped, and Sheila chuckled wickedly. "Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding," she quipped. Mim had always been better at the stealth approach than she, and she could, as she was doing now, fully manipulate people and objects in a room without being visible to the living, a skill Sheila had never been able to master or even accomplish once. "Would you like me to request that she become visible?" Sheila inquired politely.

"No, that won't be necessary," the prosecutor said dismissively, annoyed that he had been spooked. "Since anyone who grew up in this town has been to your house multiple times and should know that you failed to win whoever it was you were trying to woo with it. You never had a wife, in spite of your numerous attempts to say that you did."

Sheila's face remained calm and her voice stayed silent, but the room temperature plunged again, indicating her displeasure at the prosecutor's last statement. She considered her words carefully before responding in a calm tone. "I will say this once and only once," she said evenly. "Miriam Possible was not my friend, my secretary, my companion, or whatever euphemism best suits your fancy. She was my _wife_ and I was _married_ to her for eighty-three incredible years. I do not have the slightest clue how that wretched rumor ever got started, but it is not true. There was no man for whom I built the Mansion; I built the Mansion for Mim and Mim alone. I did not fail in securing the favor of my beloved; I won the hand of the fair lady I sought. And, by all that is pure and holy, I did not die a lonely spinster; I died in the arms of the one person who, even in death, I cannot exist without." Her eyes narrowed. "Are we quite clear on those points?" she asked, her voice lowering into a near growl.

"She has been waiting nigh onto a hundred years to say that," Mim said affectionately, yet softly to Kim, causing Kim to jump. Kim glared at her and Mim shrugged charmingly. Kim rolled her eyes and sighed, causing Mim to smile as she left Kim's side and floated her way up to the front of the courtroom 

to stand by Shego's side. The prosecutor, facing Sheila, did not see her, but Judge Lisitor and the galley behind her followed her every move. 

Shego glanced up and smirked. "Awesome to have you back, Nana Mim," she said quietly.

"Thank you, Junior," Mim replied, also quietly. "It is quite nice to be back."

Judge Lisitor looked at the new arrival and at the witness that was still on the stand. "That's quite enough," she decided. The prosecutor looked up at her, startled; he had fully intended to continue with his cross examination. "I am putting this line of questioning to an end, Counselor," the judge informed him. "Please return to your seat, and you, ma'am, thank you for your testimony. You are dismissed from the stand." Sheila inclined her head, disappeared and reappeared beside Mim. The prosecutor, although very confused, did as he was told, and as he turned, he saw Mim standing quietly by Shego. "Due to new evidence that has presented to the Court, it is my decision to dismiss all charges against the Defendant, Ms. Sheila Miriam Goshen. Ms. Goshen, you are free to go. Court adjourned," Judge Lisitor declared, banging her gavel. She got up and the court rose with her. She took one last look at who was in her courtroom, shook her head in disbelief and returned to her chambers.

The courtroom dissolved into loud chatter, and Shego, still standing, looked at the two spirits present beside her. They chuckled and then promptly disappeared. Shego shook her head and turned to Zan. "Thanks for everything, Zan," Shego said, shaking her hand. 

"Eh, from what I can see, you are going to be around for a while, so I figured I could do Ann a favor and keep you out of jail," Zan said, smiling. Shego chuckled and turned toward the galley only to find her arms suddenly filled with Kimmie. Zan laughed outright as Shego blushed. "Yup, not going _any_where," Zan confirmed.

"Hey Princess," Shego said embarrassedly, pleased but still a little mortified.

"Hey Junior," Kim responded, kissing her. Shego kissed her back, only to pull away when she heard several low chuckles, her mother's distinctive laugh among them. Kim, even though she started it, blushed. Shego laughed and turned her around so that they were both facing the passel of friends and relatives that had gathered around the defendant's table. There were a few moments of awkweird silence as people who knew nothing about each other but were connected anyway sized one another up and tried to think of something clever to say. Kim watched them shift around nervously for a couple of seconds before she realized what was up and decided to help everyone out with some introductions. The problem was, though, that she didn't know who to introduce to whom first. She decided that respecting her elders would be best, so she started off with her Great-Grandma Francis Director. "GG Fran," she said to the petite elderly woman at the front, "this is my girlfriend, Shego. This is her mother Lottie, her father Archie, and her brothers Bertie, Reggie, Augie and Willie. These are my friends, Monique, Ron and Lindsey and I think everyone else you know. Everyone else, this is my GG Fran."

Everyone murmured their hi-how-ya-doings, and GG Fran stepped up to Shego. "Very nice to meet you," she said, a small smirk on her face. "I knew your great-great aunts from way back when they used to work for me from time to time, and my granddaughter Betty has told me that you're following in their footsteps."

"Kinda," Shego admitted sheepishly. "Very nice to meet you, ma'am."

Kim smiled and moved on to the next generations. "And finally, everyone, this is my Grandma Nan, my Great-Aunt Pan, and to those of you who didn't know it before, Pan's daughter Zan, who was also Shego's lawyer," she said pointing to the pair of older identical twins and the woman in the suit beside Shego who had done all of the talking. Another round of mumbles followed, and Kim was confident that everyone had at least made precursory introductions. "So now what?" Kim asked Shego quietly as everyone else mingled.

"I wanna go home, Pumpkin," Shego pleaded.

Lottie overheard. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Mimi," she said enthusiastically. "An impromptu celebration at your house would be a perfect way for everyone to get to know one another."

"That's not what I said, Mom," Shego said flatly. 

"No, but I'm sure that's what you meant," Lottie said cheerfully before bustling around the group to inform them of the change in plans. Everyone, much to Shego's dismay, was totally up for it, and so, after their jovial and boisterous group had decamped to the Mansion, Shego found herself in her living room talking to Kimmie's Grandma Nan as Lottie and Ann buzzed around ordering food and drinks, scrounging up chairs and learning how the stereo worked so there could be some light music playing in the background. Their mothers seemed to be enjoying working together, meaning Christmas hadn't been a fluke, Shego noted with some foreboding. 

Everyone mingled and chatted, and all were having such a good time that no one noticed the silent presence of a transparent visitor watching the proceedings. That was fine with Jon because he had no desire to frighten anybody. He merely wanted to enjoy the party and soak in some of the happy, familial atmosphere that he had missed since he had been apart from Monica. "You would get more enjoyment from this soiree if you joined it rather than keeping to the periphery," Mim pointed out, suddenly appearing beside him. Jon turned and his face lit up, causing her to smile broadly in return. "You can return to her now, Jon," Mim told him affectionately. "And thank you for everything."

"I still say you have nothing to thank me for," he protested with a smile. "I knew the two of you would find a way to break the fundamental laws of the universe and still come out victorious."

"Only partially victorious," Mim admitted, with a self-effacing grin as Sheila materialized beside her. "We are banished here to Earth to watch over these two."

"And how may I ask is that punishment?" Jon teased. "You two were so interested in the lives of these two young ladies that you spent more time down here anyway." Mim blushed and Jon laughed. "Well now," he said, taking one last look around, "I think a goodbye is in order and then I shall be off. I shall miss you until you both return."

"Just go say goodbye to your great-grandnephew and be gone before Monica comes to look for you," Sheila retorted good-naturedly. "We will be back within the century, we promise."

Jon chuckled and glided over to Ron, alerting the room to not only his presence but also of the presence of the other two spirits. "Uncle Jon!" Ron said excitedly. 

"Ronald!" Jon replied, equally as excited.

"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Lindsay Woolsey," Ron said, and a highly-amused Lindsay stepped up to say howdy.

"Very nice to meet you, sir," Lindsay said.

"Please, my dear, call me Jon," Jon insisted. "And it is very nice to meet you as well." He looked at them both and grinned. "Well, Ron, my boy, I only came over to say goodbye. Lil has returned and I can now return to my Monica. I am not quite as adept in sneaking about as those two, but I promise I will return when I can."

"Have a good trip, Uncle Jon," Ron said. Jon nodded and started to disappear. "And say 'hi' to Aunt Monica for me!" Ron requested. Jon laughed and disappeared completely.

Shego looked at the two ghosts who had come to float by her. "So what about you two?" she asked. "Kimmie told me you guys got in trouble for being down here. Do you have to leave soon to keep yourselves on their good side?"

"What? Trying to be rid of us, Junior?" Mim asked with a smirk.

"Not at all," Shego said honestly. "I just want to make sure you guys aren't going to take any heat for being down here."

Sheila and Mim looked at one another and with that glance decided it was time to confess. "We will be down here for quite some time," Sheila admitted. "Our punishment was banishment to Earth."

"For how long?" Kim asked, joining the conversation as everyone in the room surrounded Mim and Sheila.

"We are not certain, but we estimate eighty-five years," Mim replied, and Shego winced.

"Um, no offense, Nana Mim and Nana Sheila, but does that mean you are going to be hanging around the Mansion for the next eighty-five years?" Shego asked apprehensively, thinking if the answer was "yes", she was going to have to move.

"From time to time, yes," Mim confirmed. "But we have been liberated from our obligation to appear only at the Mansion; we can go anywhere we choose, as we demonstrated by appearing in the courtroom."

"Wait a second," Shego said dubiously. "You two got busted for being down here, and yet they sent you back down here permanently and gave you a free pass to roam anywhere you want to go?"

"It was inexplicable to us as well," Sheila admitted. "The only explanation that seemed plausible to Mim and I was that since our transgressions had been committed to protect humanity, we had been spared the punishment it seemed we deserved."

The living looked at the dead until Ron startled everyone by snapping his fingers and breaking out into a wide grin. "This is just like Commander Kane in Space Passage IV!" he said animatedly. They all looked at him like he had completely lost his marbles. "You know, Space Passage IV, when Commander Kane and the crew of the X.M.S. _Revenge_ were on trial for blowing up the _Revenge_ when all of the Korpulons were on board. They should have gotten kicked out of the Union, but instead they got the _Revenge_ Mark II, because they had just saved the world by time jumping and bringing back the orcas."

Lindsay shook her head. "The situations are nothing alike, Ron," she said exasperated. "Commander Kane blew up the ship for revenge and that's what he was on trial for; these lady ghosts did whatever it was they did to save the world and were on trial for that. Totally not the same."

"Wow," Shego commented. "They really are perfectly matched dorks." She turned to Kim. "You mean you really gave all that up for me?" she asked dryly. "I mean, I can't even dream of approaching that level of dorkitude."

"Be nice, Shego, or I'll have Aunt Mim tell the story of you and the crystal violet," Kim warned with a wicked smile. 

"And I would in a heartbeat," Mim added.

Shego put her hands up in surrender. "All right, all right, I give; I'll be nice,'" she capitulated. "Isn't this supposed to be a party or something?" she asked irritably when she realized everyone was staring at her. Kim's family coughed as her own cracked grins, but they all dispersed and pretty soon they settled into a nice afternoon of getting to know one another and celebrating Shego's freedom.

Epilogue – About two and a half months later

"Beep, Beep, Be-beep!"

A green eye cracked open. "That had better not be what I think it is," a grumpy voice grumbled into the early morning sunlight.

"Beep, Beep, Be-beep!"

Both eyes opened this time and their owner growled. "I am going to fucking kill Wade," Shego vowed, making a grab for the beeping object on Kim's wrist.

"It's indestructible, so there's no point in trying to break it," Kim reminded her, as she sleepily moved her wrist out of Shego's reach before rolling over to answer it. "Hey Wade," she said as she answered it. She was still too drowsy to manage a "What's the sitch".

"Happy Birthday, Kim!" Wade bellowed, startling Kim into being fully awake. 

"Um, thanks, Wade," Kim replied, happy that he'd remembered but wishing it hadn't been so early. 

"You're welcome, Kim!" Wade replied, still at full volume. He clicked his mouse button to activate something on his computer, and the next thing Kim knew, her wrist Kimmunicator started belting out "Happy Birthday" at its highest volume.

It was at this point that the third party in the bed took exception to all of the ruckus. Rama sighed, got up and came over to Kim. He zeroed in on the object that was making the noise, grabbed it in his teeth, growled and pulled it off of Kim's wrist, all without leaving a scratch on Kim. He then took the still-blaring device, walked across the width of the bedroom, nudged the window open with his nose and dropped it from the second story. Looking satisfied, he walked back over to the bed, jumped up and flopped down on it.

Shego smirked and rubbed his head. "That's my awesome leopard," she said proudly as the now-faraway strains of "Happy Birthday" came floating through the open window. Kim rolled her eyes and Shego laughed. She gathered Kim up into her arms and lay back down on the bed so that they were both reclining. "And to be a little less obnoxious about it, Happy Birthday, Princess," Shego said, kissing her. "How does it feel to be the 122nd richest woman in the world?" Shego teased after they had separated. 

"Not much different from being an upper middle-class teenager… yet" Kim said, with a smile. "But I have some plans here and there."

"Like?" Shego prompted.

"Like paying for college outright and helping all the kids from my senior class do the same," Kim answered.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "You're springing for college for everyone?" she asked, impressed. "Even Bonnie?"

"If she wants to go, sure," Kim replied. She looked at Shego, smiled and sat up, dragging Shego into a sitting position with her. "And, if she wants it, I would pay for my girlfriend's education too."

"Eh, your girlfriend could pay for her own education if she wanted one," Shego pointed out. "And besides, I'd actually have to get into somewhere first." Kim blushed, got up from the bed and retrieved an envelope from the desk. She sat back down across the bed from Shego and handed it to her. Shego looked at the envelope suspiciously. "What is this, Pink?" she asked warily. Kim shrugged and blushed again. Shego noted the Upperton University return letterhead before flipping over the envelope and slicing it open with a fingernail.

"Dear Ms. Goshen," it began. "Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the incoming freshman class of Upperton University scheduled to matriculate in the coming Fall semester…" Shego didn't finish the letter, but instead folded it and looked at Kim with wry amusement on her face.

"So when exactly, if I may ask, did I apply to Upperton?" she asked archly.

"Applications were due in January, and you got yours in at the last minute," Kim replied cheerfully, her apprehension gone now that Shego didn't appear to be upset.

"Did I now?" Shego questioned. "And since I don't remember any of it, how did I get my transcripts, letters of rec, SAT scores and all of that crap?"

"Um, you might have had Wade break into a few systems and get them sent out," Kim offered. "And you might have asked Dr. Bidopsis, Dr. Zene and Dr. Brueck for letters of rec."

"I see," Shego commented. "Lemme guess, Upperton is where you are going in the fall?" Kim nodded. "And, let's see here, Upperton is only like fifteen miles away, meaning we could still live in Middleton while we went to school, which in turn means this is probably the culmination of the "you're moving in and bringing the leopards with you" plan that I first heard about at New Year's," Shego guessed. Kim blushed and nodded. Shego looked at Kim and her mind drifted back to a lonely, crappy little cell in the Middleton County Lockup. "So how do I go about accepting this illustrious space in the Upperton freshman class I've been offered?" she asked resignedly.

"Really?" Kim asked elatedly. "You'll come to college with me and let us move in?"

"Well, yeah, doy," Shego answered, as if her choice was inevitable. "I'm kinda in love with you, you know."

Kim grinned. "I know," she said impishly. She vaulted off the bed and opened the top drawer of the dresser, rummaging around until she found was she was looking for. She sat back down on the bed, but continued to wiggle with excitement as she gave Shego a small box. "Um, I was kinda hoping that you would say yes, and I got you this in case you did." Shego opened the box and inside lay a sliver ring with diamonds and emeralds inset into the band. Shego stared at the ring, and thinking she was upset, Kim hastily tried to explain. "Um, I know we haven't been together that long, and I don't want to rush things, but I really wanted to let you know that I plan on sticking around for a really long time, and I thought this would be the best way to say it," she said quickly.

Shego took the ring out its box and admired it before putting it on her left hand ring finger. "It's beautiful, Princess," she said. "And I might as well say yes because you won't stand for anything else." Kim blushed, but had to grin triumphantly when Shego leaned in for a kiss.

"Girls!" came Mrs. Dr. P's voice unexpectedly from the other side of Kim's door, causing them to break apart. They had soon discovered after Shego had gotten out of jail that they didn't like sleeping separately, so they divided their time between Shego's room at the Mansion and the Kim's room at the Possibles. Today was a Possible morning, meaning they were dressed in pajamas and attempting to behave themselves. "Time for breakfast!" Kim's mom told them. "And don't forget we still have to go shopping for the party this afternoon!"

"We'll be down in a second, Mom!" Kim called back. "Breakfast, Junior?" she asked Shego.

"Love some," Shego replied. She got up off the bed and pulled Kim with her, her eye catching on her new ring as she did so. She looked at it and smiled, only to frown when she thought of something else. "Shit," she swore.

"What?" Kim asked. "Something wrong?"

Shego sighed and shook her head. "I think I owe my mother five bucks," she said wryly.

The End


End file.
